The Hobbit: Swords of the Servant
by TheBattleforAuthorsAnonymous
Summary: Defined by two things. Both, the Company remains unaware of. Though, they been given no reason, the Company is wary of her and her appearances. After all, who has ever heard of a beardless dwarf? Reluctantly, the Company welcomes her only to discover that there is more to her than she is willing to offer. With a past she is unwilling to share will the dwarves learn to trust her?
1. The Invitation

_Edge of the Wild (River Bruinen)_

The young woman was just as skilled as she was beautiful. Her worn down grey cloak making her slight movements transparent and fluid and contrasted amongst the vibrant green surroundings. The wind lifting the fabric from her face and making her untucked hair swirl about. Both sleeves were held above her elbows with leather binding to keep them out of the way of her slim and strong fingers. The motion of body claimed her abilities without seeing her stance behind the fabric. Her head was tilted the slightest, giving her the perfect line of vision behind the bow. Aiming, she let the string loose and the arrow cut through the air with a perfected silence before it struck the target. It was a privilege to watch her in a relaxed atmosphere, and it was a situation that was rare nowadays. She had a darkness to her that could be seen just beyond her eyes. Though she hid it well.

Though, just like any other person, she had a history that has transformed her into who she is. Events that she will not share with any soul. Some she would take to her grave.

Axellriandra.

Whether she believed Gandalf or not, it was destined for the girl to be part of the Company. Without her the journey would fail and it was bound in her fate just as it was in the others.

Gandalf knew by the way she held herself that her heart still yearned for adventure, even after her spirit had been beaten in previous journeys. If he were to get her to join the company, it will be on her own terms despite his efforts. Old and weathered hands stuffed themselves into the pockets of the robe's irritating fabric, feeling for the flimsy paper that caught on his callouses. Not many could interpret the violently inscribed Orc language, few with that skill remained and those who lived had no interest in being subjected to a past life. Yet her meticulous sight and knowledge would be the only hope without turning to someone who will undoubtedly ask questions.

"Axellriandra? May I have a word?" Gandalf's gentle tune was laced with curiosity.

She looked skeptical for she has only met the wizard under the worst of circumstances. A brief look of déjà-vu spread across her features, only to be replaced with a look of pure and utter dwarf attitude. Eyebrows furrowing together, and a mischievous glint intertwining with a brilliant blue. Nose half scrunched as she worked her way through the images and memories that she associated with the fellow's name.

"Gandalf the Grey." A mocking curtsy was delivered in his general direction before the slightest hint of an eye-roll was hidden before her stone grey hood.

She spoke clearly for being a dwarf as there was a lack of mumbling, murmuring, and stumbling in her words. "Let me guess, you need my help."

"Well, yes." Gandalf sighed through his nose while pulling out the ragged parchment that had been tenderly caressed between his fingers. "I cannot read it, and believe it to be Black Speech. What do you think?"

The skilled fingers of the archer reached forward, delicately unfolding the neglected material. She murmured to herself, mind working effortlessly to translate the illegible scribbles. Her fingers traced each letter as she pieced together what each word must have meant. Blue eyes danced from me to the page through the curtain of brown locks that hid her expression from my own intrigued eyes. The writing was a stark black against the parchment and there was a trail of blood staining one edge.

"The promise of payment for the head of Thorin Oakenshield." She slowly read the page to the wizard, shaking her hair out of the way in order to get a better indication of what his expression must have said to her; her eyes shone knowingly. "You know the man?"

The paper of disturbing information was gently rolled back into place, and extended towards the shaken elder. And though she was quick, she was still innocent to the harm the small object could inflict.

"As a matter of fact, I do." His rough voice was heavy with concern, a noise in which the woman mentally noted. "I believe that I have a meeting with said dwarf."

Gandalf thought deeply for a moment longer, curious as to _how_ he would inform her that she had been chosen to be part of an adventure. Her wary eyes were analyzing every shaken move that the man made, and a smirk rolled across her young face as if she seemingly knew all to well what he was thinking.

"When, and where?" She inquired as she turned and shot an arrow into a distant target.

"Hobbiton, The Shire. This Saturday. You should get there after dark, that way the hobbits' aren't feeling as if their privacy has been invaded." The wizard spoke his vacant thoughts.

"Except your poor victim," The young girl muttered to herself.

Turning on her heels, she demanded his attention with her unmoving gaze. "I'll be there."

With that, she vanished into the surrounding forest. Her grey cloak billowing like smoke around her, and signalling her farewell as she disappeared into the thick shadows of the forest floor. If she so chose, it would be the last anyone would see of her until the day of the meeting. If the burglar failed to come through, she would be the best option as a replacement.


	2. The Meeting

_Bag-End_

Gandalf spoke aloud to himself, as he counted the dwarfs running and bustling about beneath him. Trying to think inwardly and concentrate was much too difficult with the amount of racket being made. He sighed and turned around to see a small dwarf waving an flapping his arms about, to any other person it would have seemed like a strange act, but to Gandalf it made total and complete sense.

"Yes, Bifur, you're quite right. We are missing one..." With that the little dwarf waddled off quickly, but little did he know that Gandalf was still talking aloud to himself again. "Or possibly even two."

The bustling and rambunctious activity continued on for a few more hours and into the night until a knock at the door rung throughout the house. Not a single creak seared throughout the house as Gandalf spoke before moving towards the door and opening it to find Thorin Oakenshield before him. Moving aside and let the tallest of the dwarfs through the entry way, all the men continued for roughly another half an hour, speaking excitedly about dragons and lost cities. The poor hobbit - whom's privacy had been invaded that night - had fainted at the descriptive words of the dragon's dangerous abilities. The dwarfs continued to get hopped up even after Bilbo's little moment of faintness, until Gandalf spoke up.

"Do not be so hastily ready to set your plans in stone, even if the hobbit denies there may be another." With those words spoken everybody silenced but Thorin and Gandalf.

"Why is there another member of our company? I thought I asked you to find a burglar, a fourteenth member. Not a fifteenth too!" Thorin demanded impatiently.

"Because I didn't have the chance to tell you until now. Besides, the other I had asked are quite skilled with a bow, sword, and could be silent enough to get past a dragon if need be. You might need them...They have learned and trained to be stealthy, beyond the hearing of any elf. So you are to give them a chance. Is that understood?" Gandalf spoke the last words almost harshly, but it seemed to get into the dwarfs minds with a bit more ease than before.

Or perhaps it was out of pure curiosity.

All the dwarfs at the table, even Thorin, were completely speechless. They all sat dumbfounded, not knowing how to react or what to even say for that matter. All they could do was sit there at the small table and wait with curiosity etched on their faces. After what seemed like eternity a small and silent knock sounded at the door. Causing every single dwarf to freeze on the spot. Gandalf moved from his chair swiftly to go and get the door for the next guest. But not before giving the dwarfs a little warning first.

"Be nice to her boys." With that Gandalf vanished around the corner.

"Did he say her?" Ori, a small and young dwarf sputtered.

* * *

The huntress pulled down the cloth from around her lower face and knocked on the door as gently as she could. She was afraid to damage the little hobbit's door for she knew little on the kind and would rather to just take precautions. Looking back down towards the bottom of the green door to be sure that the startling blue marking sat engraved on against the green paint. She was in the right place. Heavy footsteps could be heard from the other side of the barrier and she looked up as the door creaked open to reveal a rather relieved looking Gandalf.

He chuckled and welcomed her in as he stepped back from the doorway. In a trained silence the young woman thanked the man before removing the heavy cloak. While she quickly searched for a place to put her effects it was the unused coat-hanger that caught her eye. _Dwarves_, she rolled her eyes to no one in particular before hanging the grey fabric and setting her weapons beneath it. Turning back to Gandalf and thanking him for waiting, she followed him into the room where the rest of the group had moved to. Walking through the hall was hazardous; weapons, cloaks, instruments, and sacks had been abandoned on the wooden flooring causing a maze of hazards to be created in the process. Gandalf offered his arm out in invitation to the room that she was to enter before continuing on deeper into the house. Her blue eyes scanned the doorway, and the sight of the dwarves startled her for a silent moment. The front door gave way to a cozy living room of sorts, and just as she began to enter, the others filed in from another section of the house.

_Dwarves are hardly the adventures kind. _It was the first thought that cut through her mind.

And with that came the more important of the thoughts.

_This is a fairly large Company to be travelling about unnoticed._

That fact along announced the importance of the escapade to follow.

Her eyes quickly fluttered over every dwarf entering the room. She felt exposed, and each set of eyes fell on her, but she didn't flinch. Weakness was not a first impression to be associated with and these men would likely wanted to see a power and resilience. They would more likely test her than not, judging by their harsh expressions and unreadable eyes. The woman had not felt this uncomfortable in a number of years, and began to throw guards up accordingly. Each of these men would receive the respect they deserve but she was prepared to fight in accordance to the situation that followed. Her blue eyes examined silently as the apparent head of the group waltzed past and into her personal boundary. He appeared strangely familiar, and the harshness of his eyes screamed of the maturity he was forced to grow into. It was clear that he was used to dealing with people who needed a firm hand, that much was obvious, and if questions were to be thrown then the woman was prepared to put on a show to distract him from her true self.

"Name?" Black wavy hair contrasted harshly against his brilliant blue eyes, and it gave him a wolfish appearance.

"Axellriandra," She made sure that each syllable was pronounced clearly and there was not a hint of a stumble over a single word.

He smirked and looked like he wanted to make a remark but he held his tongue. Not only did he look like that of a wolf but also apparently had the bark of one. Both attributes spoke highly of his 'bite' so to speak.

"Weapons?" He could probably tell by the way she held herself that she had experience handling a fight of any kind.

Especially since a person's stance and walk spoke loudly on the matter, despite everything else that person said or does.

"Bow, sword, throwing knives. You name it and I, more likely than not, know how to use it." The brunette remained still as the two stood toe to toe.

This was a tactic of the dwarves; make the enemy fear and stand your ground, that was all there was to it. She had never felt fear easily.

"Skills?" He ground out, apparently frustrated with her arrogant attitude and stubborn nature.

"I'm pretty good at reading people." Dwarf attitude vs dwarf attitude, and throw back spoken words of annoyance. It's how you get under their skin.

"Pretty good?" He grinned widely, taking a step back in pride, thinking he has gained the upper hand.

Axell stepped back into his space, making it known that she wasn't one to back down and was prepared to end what he began. "Pretty damn good, it's the situations that I can read, it gives away intention."

He was curious, slightly annoyed, but mostly disbelieving. "Demonstrate."

With those final words spoken, a small hobbit jolted into the room, an expression of manic in his eyes and stress and tension glued to the rest of his face. Gandalf followed closely behind, and aside from his creased forehead, had his emotions under lock. Her movements were swift and her focused eyes begun to examine the faces of every dwarf in the room, her legs slowly weaving around for a better view. The final dwarf she made eye contact with was younger and held her attention longer than the others. His shoulder length brown hair was surprisingly straight, and his stubble was extremely different for a dwarf but overall made him incredibly handsome. He pulled one of those notorious half-smirks and her face heated up as a consequence of it. Turning her head quickly in attempt to remain focused on the task at hand, she moved to the final member in the room which was the curious little hobbit and everything could be seen in his expression alone.

"This is a larger quest you've invited me on Gandalf," She replied with a smart attitude, raising an eyebrow in the direction of the entire Company while her braid flipped over her shoulder, "you never told me there was a beast involved."

But as soon as the words had left her mouth, her body stood on end and it was too late for her to retract her words. A rough hand grabbed hold of her shoulder and only moments after her back was slammed into the nearest wall. Her vision swayed slightly but she blinked quickly and rocked her head side-to-side forcefully before her eyes landed to a burly and bald dwarf. Looking over his left shoulder, the leader gazed on seriously but with the telling sign of curiosity. The dwarf held her throat tightened his hold and spoke harshly but still with wonder in his voice. In response, she raised her hand to his and wrapped her fingers around his forearm.

"How did you know that?! Who told you?!" He pushed her deeper into the wall.

With a look of sheer annoyance and anger, the woman drove her fingers deep into his wrist and prodded her nails directly into a pressure point which caused his hand to loosen against his will.

"Nobody told me..." She rasped while prying his hand from around her neck before coughing and continuing with an inquiry of her own. "I could read it on the hobbit's face. He passed out just before I got here didn't he?"

She forced the brute's arm away from her and tossed it back, forcing him to take a step with the movement. Her eyes scanned his own, grey eyes filled with anger and a strained amount of self control. The woman refused to let her eyes leave the attacker but she could see the small hobbit's look of dismay from the corner of her eye.

"How-" he begun, "never mind. Goodnight every one, you may settle yourselves here in the living room for the night."

With that he stomped out of the living room, with nothing more to say.

"I don't do it often...I tend to get into trouble when I do it." Axellriandra nodded toward the clenched fists of the dwarf before her while simultaneously speaking to the head of the pack.

"Understandable." The head dwarf claimed with a nod.

As he opened his mouth, another dwarf was already on the move.

"If you are to be part of the company an arrangement must be made," An elder dwarf held a long, delicate looking parchment. "Will you sign the contract? There is - in fact - the promise of payment."

Payment. If she was ready to turn down the offer before her mind had switched immediately as she thought hard about her next words.

"I'd be happy to sign your contract. Especially if it'd put your minds at ease, then please." She spoke softly but loud enough for him to hear, her attitude shifting to match his own.

Stunned, the angry dwarf stepped back reluctantly and walked over to where he was previously. The head dwarf nodded and had the older dwarf hand me the contract. Her movements over to the nearest solid surface were calculated and hesitant, startling blue eyes scanning over each potential threat as she slowly lowered herself to sit and glimpse over it. It seemed reasonable enough for everything that was to be expected. Although, funeral arrangements were practically unnecessary in her mind. For there would be nobody to mourn her death anyways, especially if one of these hotheads killed her before anything else. After a quick signature the older dwarf complemented the penmanship and welcomed her to the company of Thorin Oakenshield. Her eyes remained trained on those of the wolf like man, both of them analyzing one another in these final moments.

Finally, Thorin gave way first and shuffled past the dwarven girl, and situated himself next to the mantle. With that the group began humming tune for some time, allowing a dwarf who seemed to resemble that of a lion and the oddly handsome dwarf to leave.

Kili watched the scene roll out between his Uncle, Dwalin, and Axellriandra, and after a few long moments, the noise level drifted into a comfortable state. Only the humming of the Misty Mountains Cold song was reaching the ears and he looked over to the young woman that was now joining the Company.

She must have about 75-76 years of age, only a couple of years younger than the youngest of the Durin. She had long deep, dark brown hair that was kept in by a confusing braid and wore a detailed outfit consisting of a loose black tunic, black leather arm wraps, black leggings, and an odd face wrap which hung from her neckline.

But the catch was that you'd never in all your life would guess that she would have been a dwarf.

Most dwarf women are burly and thick, this girl was slim and fit. Which wasn't normal amongst dwarfs. She wasn't much taller than Ori, the youngest of the group, and had a beardless face. In fact, though it was extremely uncommon, Kili found it amazing on her. Her eyes were an ocean blue that were bright enough they seemed to glow, and as the fire flickered they seemed to catch streaks of gold that remained only seconds longer than the flame's shape. It was her eyes that were truly the most impressive part of her, never in the young dwarf's life had he seen anything like them.

Kili felt his brother deliver a nudge to his shoulder with a booted foot. Glancing over his shoulder just as Fili was sitting up, and watched silently as he jerked his head towards the hallway. Kili nodded in agreement, knowing it must be quite personal for Fili to ask to leave silently to go with him. Kili sidestepped out of Fili's way in order for the older to lead the younger to where he wished. They sauntered their way into a quieter part of the hall before Fili quickly turned on his heels to face his younger brother. If Kili hadn't been prepared to stop he would've run straight into him. Fili looked at the younger knowingly, the blond's face seemed like he was going to pounce on his brunet brother if he tried disagreeing.

"You fancy her?" Fili's smug look, which to anybody else would have made no sense, directed at his brother clearly read '_I'm not going to ever let go of this'._

Kili looked at him as if Fili were no older than a child.

"Please Fili we aren't children anymore, I do not fancy her." He said trying to be utterly displeased at his accusation.

"Oh please brother, I can read you better than anyone! I know exactly what you were thinking, I could see it in your eyes...not to mention that you couldn't take your eyes off her since you saw her." Fili crossed his arms, obviously pleased with himself.

"Yes, well uh, you mustn't blame me. Did you see her, she's ravishing! You had to be blind to miss it, and even then I think you'd still feel it if you were. Come on Fili, tell me I'm wrong." The brunet spoke excitedly.

In order to prepare herself for the night, the woman exited the room after a short while. Fili regarded Kili for a moment, then opened his mouth as if to say something but shut it quickly. His eyes traveled down the hall towards the doorway, Kili followed in suit and looked over his shoulder to see none other than the woman they were talking about. She had a straight path from the room to the entrance way but she still noticed the way they silence themselves when she entered the hall. The loose strands of her hair fell into her face for a quick moment before she brushed it out of the way, and gave them both a warm smile as she continued to disarm herself. She removed various sized daggers from her right hip, and made sure that they knew she was not afraid that they knew. Once the remainder of her weapons came off, she set them among the rest of her effects in order for her to slip them all on in the morning.

As soon as her back was to the two, Kili could feel his face heat up. A blush so intense it carried it's way down the brunet's neck and under his shirt. Fili chuckled at him.

"She didn't hear you, there's no need to worry." He forced out between silent chuckles.

Kili's warm face decreased almost instantly before he turned to watch her re-enter the room with a large stone grey cloak in tow.

"I don't blame you Kili, she is marvelous to look at..but learn to trust her first. Maybe get to know her too." Fili looked at his younger wearily.

"She adorable. Unusual for a dwarf but...still adorable." Kili smiled drunkenly.

The voice of the elder brother quickly pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come on lover-boy, let's head back." With that Fili lead him back into the crowded room.

Once in the fire-lit room Kili immediately made eye contact with the glowing pair, her remarkable eyes trained on him. But she quickly looked away just as a hue of pink took over her features.

Not even seconds after, Thorin started to sing the Misty Mountains Cold. Not too long after their song ended did it end with an almost eerie silence, but Thorin avoided it well by speaking soon after and the dwarfs began to dive for comfortable spots on the floor.

"Get some rest everyone, we leave before dawn." Thorin, nearly demanded before turning to look at the young girl. "I will introduce you, or they will introduce themselves in the morning. My apologies, but we have a long journey ahead of us."

"I understand the circumstances. I'm sure I will have the opportunity to get to know every one of them, including you." Her voice never wavered, indicating that she truly was not bothered.

With that he nodded then went over to a rather large looking couch, and proceeded to get comfortable. Axellriandra sprawled comfortably into the window seat and draped her cloak over herself before checking to be sure it wouldn't land on someone.

It didn't take long for a heavy and comfortable sleep to overcome every last one of them.


	3. Leaving Hobbiton

_Bag End, Hobbiton_

The warm hobbit hole made it next to impossible to awake in. Axellriandra's mind was still in the foggy and paralyzed mode while her instinctual mind had been awake all night. Although, it has been for years. At one point in her half-asleep state she could sense a large, calloused hand reaching for her shoulder. Before she pulled herself out of the heavy half-slumber it became close enough to tell it was a dwarf hand. Once the thick flesh was settled on her body did she manage to force her eyes open. Hearing a deep gruff voice mumble something incoherent to my ears, she looked up to see the same dwarf who had hostilely held her against the wall, except this time he held his calloused hand out hospitably for her to accept.

She smiled at him cautiously and accepted the outstretched hand, which proceeded to pull her to her feet roughly. Her mind cleared to a pure alertness almost simultaneously with her stretched body which collided soundlessly on the wooden floor. Taking in the surroundings, she noticed every small detail that had changed since the previous night. The fire was burnt to nothing more than a sooty pile of ash, half of the dwarves in the room had moved or rolled in their sleep, the floorboards were squeaking under Gandalf's weight in another room, and somehow the two young brothers managed to get closer to each other during the night. She chuckled silently at the fact they acted upon childish instincts when nobody was looking.

Within seconds she had noticed all these things and managed to shake her head clear and focus on the new task at hand. Bending down, she gently shook the dwarf nearest to her which happened to be an older dwarf who had short white and grey hair and beard. He grunted as he woke and shook off the remaining sleep his body clung to. As he looked at her, he gave a sleep filled smile and stuck out his hand while doing so.

"Dori." He said simply as she took his hand.

He shook her hand once and scrambled to his feet to, most likely eager to figure out where breakfast was awaiting. The next sleeping dwarf she was to come across was probably the youngest in the group. He had a very small beard and a youthful look to him still. She shook him gently and he woke almost instantly. He introduced himself as Ori then proceeded to ask for breakfast and she told him where to find it and continued with what I had been doing before. He sat in the spot he had awoken as she moved to the dwarf beside him. Shaking this dwarf awake slightly harder due to the loud snores his body was still releasing. He groaned loudly and shook his shoulders to try and shake the woman off, she huffed slightly at his action. Ori caught the girl by surprise however and spoke apologetically.

"I'm sorry about my brother, he's always been a stubborn one." His squeaky morning voice pronounced clearly.

"It's not a problem at all Ori, most dwarves are like this. I think I can handle it." Her blue eyes spoke kindly to him as she was making sure that she didn't come across as rude.

Axell shook the stubborn dwarf again, he groaned at her in annoyance. She chuckled in annoyance and bent lower, making sure that she would be close enough for him to hear.

"I've got a little tip..." He groaned, trying to get her to shut-up. "The faster you get up the sooner you get to eat."

Almost instantly the reddish brown haired dwarf leapt up out of his sleep. Shaking off whatever drowsiness still hung onto him. He gave her a pointed look, then mumbled incoherently. Axell guessed he wanted to know where the food was and pointed in the direction of the kitchen. He nodded in understanding and thanks, shuffling off lazily. Ori sighed heavily as he sat beside her.

"His name's Nori, and I apologize for his manners." He sounded more annoyed with his brother than Axell felt at his morning behaviour.

"Thank you Ori. But you won't need to worry about manners too much with me, I'm not one to get offended easily." She continued lightly.

He nodded then proceeded to follow his brother to where breakfast might be. Looking around the small hobbit's living room, Axell found that everyone had been awoken. Although a few still treasured the remaining sleep they had. One actually started snoring again, earning a swift boot from the bald dwarf. She shrugged helplessly while shaking her head in a slightly appalled manner at his actions. Standing from the comfortable crouched position on her toes, the brunette silently slipped into the kitchen. Before reaching the doorway, the smell of a well cooked meal wafted into her nose and caused her to pad into the kitchen faster. The cook and the three brothers hadn't noticed her entrance in the small room, and she inhaled the scents silently.

"The food smells lovely." Her complement was followed by a happy huff at the different aromas.

Axell watched all three brothers turn in the direction of her voice surprised at the sly ability of her movements. However, it was the cook who had been startled the most judging by the way he leapt almost a foot in the air. He turned to look at the girl, frying pan still in hand. Smiling at her warmly only after checking to make sure he shook off his startled look.

"Oh, why thank you. I try my best to impress...that and it's also the last time we will be in an actual kitchen. So I thought I'd make it enjoyable." He explained simply. The younger nodded in understanding and her brown hair slowly began to come loose from her braid, a smile still framed on her face. He placed down the cooking utensil down that he had been using and suddenly stuck his hand out towards her, his eyes scanning her delicate looking face before landing on the faint scar that sat atop of her cheekbone.

She shook it warmly, welcoming smiles on both of their faces as she tried to act oblivious to what he was doing. "The name's Bofur. Your name is Axellriandre, right?"

"Axellriandra," The woman corrected with a gentle chuckle, "but you may all call me Axell."

"Axell." He repeated, a small touch of concentration tinting his face before smiling widely. "I like it."

With that he turned back to the food he was supposed to be cooking. And the girl moved out of the way before sitting across the boys she had awoken earlier. Ori smiled adorably while the other two didn't even look up from their plates. Her posture was strong and regal, years of practice had now had her doing it subconsciously and she didn't bother to try forcing a conversation. They'd have plenty of time to get to know each other later. Suddenly a plate was placed before her, almost shocking the woman out of any previous thoughts. She was a little taken aback by the hospitality and looked up to see the gently smiling eyes of Bofur.

"Bofur, you can feed the others first. I'm sure some of them are probably hungrier." Axell argued gently.

"Nonesense, you're the lady. Plus, when I'm cooking it's first come first serve." He smiled cheekily while winking as he turned to the remaining food needing to be cooked.

She smiled at his turned back and began to scoop up the meal. The plate was polished off within a few minutes and after a quick look around it was discovered that there were three plates abandoned on the table which had been left for cleaning, along three missing brothers. Axell rolled her eyes at the scene, while scooping up the abandon plates along with her own. Trudging over to the sink with a natural silence and washing them well and quick. Once finished, she slipped back into the living room.

Although, once she had entered the room it was apparent that it was a bad idea. The little amount of noise and bustle had been silenced a little too suddenly. Every pair of eyes landed on the short girl before she made contact with most of the nervous and distrustful orbs. Goosebumps swallowed her black clad arms and back. A sudden flash of red caught her eyes, calming my nerves immediately as they gave her an excuse to remove herself from the situation.

She begun her path with a slight hop before she strutted over to the fruit of interest and taking two from the stack while pulling her wooden hair from the volatile braid it had become during the night. Giving the room a quaint smirk she had moved to leave, spinning on her heels, and nearly thrown herself into the chest of Thorin Oakenshield. Although she had swallowed audibly at the close quarters of the sterling eyed man before her, she remained steadfast and trained in the spot as her ocean blue eyes stood at attention to the man's overbearing eye contact. His eyes were cold and piercing, which was an attempt to read the warm and bright eyes that shone before him. Light freckles dusted her nose and brow bones and, in response to Thorin's perspicacious glare, the skin beneath those particular areas shone with a slight pink. Her weight shifted between her feet as she regained her composure and attempted to pull the colour from her face. The girl cleared her throat in agitation as an innocent and ignorant expression crossed his face. In return, a look of annoyance graced her features for a brief time before she pulled herself together.

"My apologies Thorin, but may I get by you?" Her words were precise but had a venomous warning to it.

Thorin made a sound of surprise before he entertained her previous question.

"Why, it appears that I am. My sincerest apologies, I had not noticed." A tint of mischievousness glazed over his eyes as he looked at the beardless dwarven girl before him.

His mouth and nose quirked in distaste and displeasure at the thought as he raised his chin before stepping back. And in return, she dropped her shoulders and tilted her head down. It was a weak and feeble attempt to make herself appear smaller; a trick she had learned to perfect while surrounded by those who were threatened by her presence.

The dwarf sidled out of her immediate path only by a few inches before expecting her to move by him. And while she held herself to a certain confidence, the brunette's skin crawled at the pure level of distrust that she had for the man due to the man's threatened stance. Though, she would not argue that he should feel threatened by her presence, but it was unnecessary for him to go about breaking the boundary line in this manner.

She refused to rush past him, and she also refused to tiptoe past him. So, she merely waited for a moment to pass when he finally dropped his shoulders and relaxed himself in the slightest. It was a tense few seconds of silence, a crisp and static amount of tension in the air, and some harsh and driving eye contact. Movement wavered throughout the room, some of the battle-hardened dwarves preparing themselves for a fight while others simply looked on in curiosity mixed with a little amount of terror.

The tension kept building stronger the longer we stood in our tight corner, and the more restless the other dwarves grew. Axell's plan of waiting him out had not been received as well as most other people had. At least with humans, they grow impatient and tired of games and eventually give in. She had not been around dwarves such as these, and more often than not, the dwarves she had interacted with had grown with human interaction. This was not the case.

Startlingly, a thick grey felt into the doorway, bringing with it an air of frustration and ease. The wizard's calmness cut through the crowd and divided a path as he remained still and aware of the interaction before him.

"Thorin Oakenshield," His voice carried across the small room with a stern silence, as to avoid waking the hobbit, "will you leave my dwarven-girl be."

As the dwarf-king's name left the wizard's tongue, the man's shoulders were thrown backward in shock and his arms slowly cam undone from their coiled position on his chest. And as, he was lowered his arms back to his sides, the blue-eyed girl used that exact moment to slip past him and slowly make her way for the door.

"Dwarf," the man scoffed quietly which caused the girl's steps to slow, "she is the furthest thing from it."

And as her steps halted in the doorway, she turned her back against the wooden archway, prepared to defend herself from the man's sour attitude.

"_Do you speak the language_ _of our people? Do you understand _Khuzdul?" The young woman, while she knew not what was being hissed by the king, kept her eyes forward to glare powerfully at the wall.

It took all of her strength to keep her stance firm and to not be shaken by the implication of what may have just been said. Though, she could tell by the way it was spoken that the sterling eyes tearing her apart were not finished his pillory.

"_You do not comprehend what is being said to you. You do not understand the language then you do not understand the customs. You are no dwarf,_" He began to get hoarser verbally as he struggled to remain quiet as he scrutinized the female.

"You are not one of us."

The statement hung in the air, cutting through her as she repaired the damage it dealt. Tear-less, she turned to face him with a cold and unforgiving expression before spitting the words, "will that be all, Master Dwarf?"

The glare and spite that cut through the two stirred the air once again into a frenzy of static tension, but was brutally torn in half as he nodded curtly.

With his dismissal, she spun on her heels causing her hair to fan out behind her and smack into her grey cloak as it billowed out the door.


	4. Beginning Of It All

_Outside of the_ _Shire_

The freckled brunette was pleased with herself that she left when she had. The sky was painted a variety of vibrant colours and the first morning light kissed the early-summer air and made the green of the treetops and grassy hills glow. There were few civilians of the town up and about, but those who enjoyed the peace and the gardens and the gentle lapping of the brook took advantage of the morn.

The dwarven-girl gracefully weaved through the small streets, listening to the birds overhead and the townsfolk chattering. She was painfully aware that most of the people awake would get quieter as she passed through, less likely do with that fact that she was leaving at an odd hour and more to do with the fact that she was approximately a foot taller than most. And the fact that she was strutting around with a bow was the most startling sight of it all. The woman moved her cloak hood up far enough that it concealed most of her brown locks and pulled the front together to concealed her sword, daggers, and other blades.

One man - clearly married, as his wife was with him - was tending the garden by the fence nearest to the road that she was on. He was busy and humming as he went about his chores until he heard the faint crunch beneath Axell's heels as her hunting boots came in contact with the dirt path. Once his eyes landed on her face they refused to move, and it was obvious that he was enjoying the view. His intense and continuous gaze held a delight that made a deep pink hue to rise up from under her freckles, which contrasted with her blue eyes. Because of the chuckle it arose from him, her steps moved faster down the road but that didn't stop her from hearing him receive a smack and the argument with his wife that followed.

When she finally came to the town's edge, relief filled her. She had never done well with people watching her or staring at her for any reason whatsoever. Then the thought of how strange it would have been to leave the town with all of the dwarves, and by the time they had decided to leave most of the hobbits would have been awake by then. There will really be a spectacle at that point and the woman smoothed her black tunic as she sighed while pulling herself from her thoughts.

Inhaling the pure air of the forest around her, the small woman moved gracefully through the smaller trees as they slowly became thicker and older the further away from the town they got. She was enjoying her last moments of peace, tranquillity, and solidarity before she had to worry about catching up with the dwarves. An unanticipated twist within the woman's gut confirmed her thoughts as she begun the search for her steed. Two sharp and quick whistles cut through the silence of the trees and she remained stone on the spot she stood as to listen intently. In the near distance, the ground thudded and quaked because of the power rolling of the beast the thundered in the dwarf's direction. A subconscious tug appeared on her lips as she closed her eyes to focus on the sound of her creature. It was not until the sound nearly roared above her did they cut to silence and with it, her dark tresses flew away from her cheeks and forehead as the force of air the animal had made pounded against her form.

She opened her eyes with a faint smile at her old friend before her. The gentle black beast lowered his head to meet her own, nickering in a familiar greeting before pressing his forehead into her stomach and giving a gentle warning nudge. Her chuckle at his wisdom carried in the breeze as the two of them walked together to the spot that she had left his bridle along with her satchel, and upon reaching the tree, she reached in to pull out the two items before pulling her bag over her her shoulder and neck, and placing the bit in her steed's mouth before tossing the reins over his head. With a gentle tap to his mid-chest the girl asked him to kneel. Beautifully obedient, he leaned back and dropped his front leg closest to his girl for her to mount onto his bare back. Once on, he hopped upward and started to gentle meander to the road they had been on the day before. Gathering her reins in her dominant hand and quirking an eyebrow as they quickened their pace. The woman perched herself high on her steed's black, silk shoulders. She slid her non-dominant hand down his neck and through his mane as they moved through the trees in unison.

They were upon the Company in a short few minutes and could hear multiple hooves tapping across the road. The group consisted of many small and sturdy ponies, and one horse, all in a sporadic road. Ponies were just as sturdy and were the perfect height for dwarves, however, Axell was much slimmer and had a far stronger level of endurance for someone of the dwarf kind.

The black beast of a horse danced into a jog as it started to come up to rear of the pack, and its rider noticed that the ponies were trucking at a rapid pace in order to keep up with Gandalf's mount. Only when the horse settled in next to the smaller creatures did the stunned expressions file, most turning when the muttering got a little louder. A sickeningly sweet smile had morphed on the woman's face at the shock that nearly caused a dwarf to fall of his pony, the blond's grey eyes widening as he slid a little further than he had expected.

"A horse..." his voice was quiet at first as he mulled over his words, "how could you be possibly barebacking an animal that large?"

His lion-like features twisted from shock to awe in a matter of seconds as he analyzed the girl from beneath her brown hair.

"Who? Caspian here?" A sing-song laugh carried on the breeze enough to catch the attention of the young brunet that rode in front of her.

And while he was paying attention, he did not dare turn around and make that fact known.

"My boy is nothing more than a sweetheart, I assure you, I know that I am safe while riding him." Shrugging her right shoulder as she pulled up to the blond's right side.

"Yeah, but it's a horse! Dwarves can't ride horses! Forget about bare-backing one!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Sure ya could! Horses aren't that much bigger than ponies, just a little less sturdy. They need a gentler touch. That sort of thing is taught. As for bare-backing, you need good balance, good patience, and a lot of perseverance!" She gave the statement as simple explanation.

"Sounds like I'd do terribly, patience isn't my thing at all." He chuckled causing the breads from his mustache to swing against the beads in his hair. "My brother would probably do well though."

Once the words escaped his mouth a brown fuzzy pony came trotting alongside the two-toned grey ombre pony that the blond sat upon.

"You called brother of mine." The cheeky young brunet leaned in the direction as he peered over at the only woman to dare take action in an adventure that he had heard of.

"Oh nothing brother." The older said, a mischevious cloud over his eyes rumbled. "I'm just saying that you're a stubborn-headed mule of a dwarf."

"Really?! Well you shouldn't be one to point out anothers flaws! You aren't the humblest of dwarfs ya know!" The younger retaliated.

"Excuse me-" The blond started, however, Axell decided it would be smart and keep their argument from getting beyond the point of no return.

Caspian was given a quick yank on his left reign and he leapt before their small ponies which effectively cutting off their argument.

"Gentlemen, please." The brunette shook her hair away from her face before pushing it over her ear and catching both of their eyes before continuing on. "I don't think it would be best to antagonize Master Thorin."

The two looked at her innocent ocean eyes with blank faces before chuckling under their breaths glancing at each other before chortling harder. Her nose wrinkled and eyebrows furrowed as she sucked the corner of her bottom lip into her mouth. The raven-haired dwarf watched her action with a slight tinge of pink that she remained oblivious to.

"Fili and I have always been ones to argue, fight, or whatever else comes to mind." The younger explained as he choked on some of his words. "I think our Uncle's used to it."

And though dwarves are known to be oblivious, this woman was brilliant in comparison.

With a verbal exhale, Axell pulled her hair out of her face and trapping it against her neck while tilted her head against her shoulder with a flirtatious gleam to her eyes, "I see, so, which Prince does he complain about most?"

The brothers did not notice nor deny the assumption that the young woman had made, which confirmed what she had been attempting to discover.

"Kili. Easily," Fili shoved his younger in the shoulder roughly but lovingly.

"Prince Fili and Prince Kili," Axell stated more to herself than the two in front of her. She dug her heels gently into her black steed's side, causing him to spin his backside around so they were facing them.

Commanding her voice to speak louder in order to be heard, the woman looked at them with her chin held high asking and demanding respect in return, "Axellriandra. At your service."

Bowing to the best of her abilities while horseback, she pulled herself back into an upright position to faces of wide eyes and hanging mouths. A smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth but the woman kept herself in control. A brief glance over her shoulder told her that they needed to move along. She spun her horse around and looked back at the Durin boys. Though they were still fixated and hypnotized to the spot she had been at before.

"Gentlemen!" Her voice was raised causing them leap out of their skin and pale a number of skin-tones. "We need to move."

They nodded quickly and pressed their ponies into a faster pace then rushed past Axell and Caspian, rounding the bend.

"All right, Caspian. Let's catch up too." With that the two jogged off prancing into a walk as they came up to the tail end of the pack.

"He won't come!" A shout by a largely bearded, dark red haired dwarf brought the three of them into a vibrant conversation.

"Of course he will!" Bofur attempted to remain optimistic.

"How can you be so sure?!" The other argued.

"Just try to be positive!" Bofur tried.

"But Gloin is right!" A bald dwarf with an epic scar sporting a pair of knuckle dusters agreed.

"Dwalin! Not you too!" Bofur looked defeated, then suddenly he seemed to click something in the back of his mind knowing a weakness within his own, "I bet he will."

Axell, while unknowing to why this was considered to be a weakness, paid attention to it no less.

"I make a fifty shilling wager that he won't!" Gloin added grumpily.

"I will see that fifty, and he will!" Bofur put stubbornly, while shaking his bag of shillings.

"No!" Dwalin repeated the action Bofur had done.

"Yes!" Balin exclaimed while tossing a small sack into the air, catching it with as it chimed together.

"No!" Dori spat.

"Yes!" Fili and Kili shouted forward in unison.

The atmosphere around the girl at the end whispered and screamed. If it had been any other member of the Company they would have mistaken it for only the breeze, but she knew better. The brunette pulled Captain to a halt beneath her while turning him in the direction of the ghostly whisper. She strained her ears to hear it again, but all she received was nothingness. Sitting only for a few seconds longer the girl pulled her hair into a ponytail and turned on her steed to see a member waiting patiently. Although she was stunned to see Kili, she was pleased for the Company nonetheless, especially because she believed the others were about to leave her in the dust. While smiling at the young dwarf kindly, the two marched on together beginning a friendship to come with a light conversation and plenty of laughter.


	5. On The Road

_On the Road_

It took approximately half of an hour before the random conversation and slow-paced ponies were abruptly cut off by the surprisingly loud shout of a little hobbit. A majority of the Company halted from the fact that the voice was distinguishable from a crowd as the owner of the home that they had been in the night before.

"Wait!"

Most turned in surprise as they reigned in their ponies, watching deeply as the tiny hobbit jogged up to Balin. The dirty blond's hand trembled ever so slightly as he stretched to offer the contract to the dwarf, stepping away from the pony the moment he had an opportunity. Balin mumbled to himself as he checked over the parchment and the hobbit beside him eyed his pony suspiciously while the dwarf was occupied.

Axell watched on from the rear as the youngest two of the Durin's sidled up cheekily, a few ponies behind Balin, both making signals to Thorin who sat at the head of the line. An air of mischievousness passed between the three that was either unnoticed or undeciphered. Balin's voice rose again in direction of the smallest creature, capturing the attention of nearly everyone in the area.

"Everything appears to be in order," Balin's genuine smile captivated the stone cold exterior of the lone female, "welcome, Master Baggins, to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield."

The joyous look that pasted itself upon the hobbit's face melted the hearts of the gentler dwarves, causing most to release noises of joy in response from the depths of their chests. Axell giving a small smile from the contagiousness of everyone's behaviours.

A baritone voice cut the merry out of everyone as his words were level and carefree.

"Give him a pony," and with that statement, Thorin kicked his stout bay into a rushed walk in order to make up for the little time lost.

As soon as he started the rest followed along, ignoring the hobbits protests. It was then that Axell discovered what the tricksters had been planning, for about twenty seconds after their thick and calloused hands were lifting the small hobbit up by his shoulders and tossing him onto the smallest pony. Mumbling loudly to the creature, they abandoned him at the side of Gandalf then jogged their ponies back to the rear of the group. Axell schooled her expression and silent the hidden chuckle that had passed under her breath as to not encourage further childish actions. The boys brought their ponies to a halt on either side of the pack and the rear began to come upon their positions, and they hollered at each other over the remainder of the Company with laughter in their voices. Her blue eyes glimmered with mirk when the sun's rays peaked through the thinning forest, and it was the moment she had thought that the two had lost interest in everyone's reactions that she had looked one of them in the eyes. It was her assumptions that got her into trouble. The lion-like one grinned broadly as he notices the weak gleam in her eyes; his blond frizzy hair and the dark smile creases around his blue eyes appear wilder.

"You like that?!" Fili blurted with an obvious thrill and causing his brother to swing around in an uncontained form of energy and enjoyment.

A silent intake of air rushed past her lips and causing an old wound to pull uncomfortably at the sudden action, and black lashes fluttered as stunned eyes attempted to comprehend how to respond to the situation before her.

"She absolutely does!" A pleased and striking Kili let out in between gasping laughter.

Little did the woman know that this conversation would lead her, and she flicked her hair over one shoulder innocently.

"Do you two normally abandon your victims after a moment like that?" She allowed the right corner of her lip to quirk but she otherwise kept herself unreadable.

"More or less." The blond responded with a teasing undertone to his words.

"More than less." The raven-brunette corrected, causing the two to chuckle at the other.

"When did that begin?" Her eyes shifted side to side as the two pulled their steeds alongside her own, making it easier to communicate with them as she road above them.

"Since always, we've always been like this. Ever since we were children. The other kids would despise us for the pranks we would pull. Like the original spider in the bed." Fili explained in minor detail, an air of laziness in his voice.

"Ai, along with the bird in the closet. Or we'd just let all the ponies in the stable loose." Kili continued with an initial smirk and tap on her thigh as it was just in reach.

Her shoulders tensed in response before relaxing, recognizing that it was a notion of fondness.

"Good times." Fili admired as he sent his brother a sideways glance.

"Aye, they were." Kili agreed and whilst the two chuckled together he sent his brother a knowing look right back; an interaction that went unnoticed by the woman as she scratched her horse's neck. "What did you do as a dwarrow child?"

Just like that, her blood froze and caused horror to send shards through her lungs and fingers in an attempt to kick in her instincts.

"I did not have a fascinating childhood as a dwarrow. In fact, I had only ever done one of two things while growing up. Nothing exciting in any way." She had tried to blow off the question swallowing her nervousness.

"Well, what were those two things?" Fili inquired, cocking his head in intrigue as he squinted at the woman to his right before changing the direction of his eyes forward again.

"Well..." The woman's eyes racked her surroundings before her as she thought of how to phrase her words before forcing out, "well, only training along with...with learning about poisons and, uh, medicines."

"Truly?" Fili looked the girl up and down as he tilted, and the woman could feel the disbelief dripping from his voice.

"Yes, truly." She responded in an honourable manner.

Her long eyelashes hid away the depths of her blue eyes, and she kept her freckled eyelids open wide and focused before her. She could feel the skin of her spine crawl in recognition of their actions. The men on either side of her examined the position of her shoulders before giving each other a knowing glance

"That is strange. I have never met someone who had no childhood." Kili admitted in a curious silence. "How old were you?"

"I began as young as twelve." The woman slipped, tucking her gentle waves behind her ear.

"But dwarrow do not start training until the age of twenty-five because it is not until around the age of thirty when we are first considered adults. That is when dwarf men are allowed to have jobs or go to war." Fili thought aloud as he attempted to understand what he was being told.

The woman nodded slowly and hummed in acknowledgement as she added more information; intrigued as to what he may discover, and how soon he could.

"I began to work around the age of twenty," The female amongst the three admitted, taking a silence glance at the two on either side of her.

"WHAT?!" They had both sputtered horrified.

"That is immensely absurd!" Kili growled.

"So young!" Fili spat. "Why?"

"I was alone. My mother had died, and my father was killed in battle before I was born. I also had no other family. Therefore, working was the only way I could keep myself alive." The boys quieted after her final comment, and clearly were thinking hard about everything discussed.

It continued that way for an hour, before the two started talking amongst themselves; arguing about what pranks they could pull. All of the other dwarves mumbled and laughed within the rest of the group, but it was the ghost-like actions in the wind that caught her attention. The woman examined the actions of those around her, learning the difference in each of those that she travelled alongside.

She successfully recognized the details she thought necessary and travelled in silence for a long while. A good hour of dwarvish murmurs and trudging hooves being the only sound to fill their ears.

But it was a sudden movement caught the brunette's attention as the noticeable sneeze-like noise was emitted, and the smallest body scurrying about his pockets. The woman knew what was happening and could feel herself fall on to instincts, and knees fixated her body upon Caspian's broad shoulders. Once settled, Caspian made a quick dash for the hobbit and smallest pony. Speeding past over half of the company, earning her the oddest looks in the process. She easily heard his exasperated voice murmuring under his breath, which was quiet enough the Gandalf couldn't even hear him. His panic rose in volume just as the girl got closer and quickly interrupted.

"Axellriandra." Her voice came out soft and clear, her fingers quickly flicking out a cloth before him. Bowing her head as her next sentence was said and his shocked expression making a warm smile crawl its way on to her face. "At your service."

"How did you know I was going to need this?" He asked shocked, a surprised, open-mouthed grin plastered on his face while he took the material gratefully.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve." She had admitted, winking at him. "If there's anything else you need, just let me know."

With that she gathered her steed, trotting elegantly to the back of the pack. By the time she reached the rear, the two brothers were grinning at oddly. And one of the few thoughts that female archer when noticing their expressions was that it _'seems like I'm in for something new'._


	6. Fun and Games

_Bywater Road_

"So, Axellriandra...you had said that you did not do much as a child, correct?" Fili had started one day with an artful look passing between him and his brother.

The woman's brown hair flung into her face as she looked up from readjusting her vambrace and nodded at his statement. Her nose scrunched in the slightest curiosity and her head cocked to the side in an obvious adoption of both of the brothers' action. The two had noticed it but thought better than to point it out; feeling pride at their effect on her. The random outbursts of the two men standing before her had gotten a little less than abnormal within the week that she had gotten to know them.

"So...you still have a playfulness to you," Kili spared another glance to his brother when her eyebrows knitted closer in confusion, a sly grin being tossed in the younger man's direction, "do you want to use that playfulness to an advantage?"

"Perhaps...why are you asking?" Her words were spoken with a caution and she shifted her weight in nervousness.

The two were acting like they've seen gold, bouncing at each other in small bursting movements. The jerking on the reigns caused one of their ponies to kick in frustration and the other to trot faster into the butt end of the pony in front of them. The woman jerked her shoulders back in regret as she looked between the two who remained oblivious to her fright.

"Perfect." Fili grinned through his chuckled, which spread wider when Kili let out a troublesome snicker.

"For what?" She eyed them both intensely behind her hair, trying to not seem suspicious of them while keeping her expression away from their penetrating eyes.

"Helping us pull off...things of the mischievous sort." Kili quietly chuckles, and the woman eyed him with a knowing gleam while her eyebrows raised into her freckles.

"Pranks." She stated with a silence as a toothy grin crawled onto her face, "The two of you have a good definition of the word 'fun'."

"Yes we do," Kili said with pride and his chest puffed out.

A few short seconds of tense silence and excited grins passed by before one of the two spoke up again.

"You said a few days before that we may call you anything we'd like. Does that give us an open invitation to give you a nickname so we aren't always stumbling over Axellriandra?" Fili asked thoughtfully.

"Well, most refer to me as Axell in complete honesty. But if you want to give me a nickname of your own, then feel free to do so." The brunette was curious as to what they would come up with.

They both seemed to be thinking deeply about it and taking centuries before speak up again. All of their suggestions originating from the parts of the young lady's name.

"Axe." Fili voice rose first.

"Riandra." Kili all but almost barked.

"Andra."

"Andria."

"Ellria"

"Ella."

"Xell."

"I like Ellria," Kili spoke with a simple huff and his face softened as he mulled over his decision.

"I like it too Ki," Fili said thoughtfully, "but it might be too much to say if a dire situation ever arose."

"True Fi," Kili agreed, "what do you think?"

"Ria." He stated as proud as a creature could.

"Ria," Kili repeated, looking at the woman in deep thought and under not even half of a minute later he was breaking into a cheek breaking grin, "I think it suits her. That is a good one, Fi."

Little did the girl know that the only time they would ever use that name again would be when it mattered most.

With that, the boys settled back into their usual conversations, about home being heirs, tales of dragons, adventures, and anything else they could imagine. They were so innocent to the world, and it was so beautiful that the woman's heart clenched in the broken hope that it would never leave them. In the past few days, she had learned to admire their innocence, allowing them to be blind to the horrors of the world. She thought in great depths and allowed herself to become oblivious to anything else they spoke of, and allowed the song of the breeze to silently watched for danger and change in the area.

Few spoke to the woman over the entirety of the trip. Fili, Kili, Bofur, and Bilbo being the only ones within the past week. While most of the others had a neutral position; not yet trusting but still respectful. The ones who didn't sit in the same boat as the others were completely brash and did not bother with feelings in the least. Although, if the woman was honest with herself, she was positive that she did not feel anymore.

The Company soon formed an order in the long line of ponies, allowing one-half of the ponies to rest from keeping others in line. Axell still remained in the rear, however, knowing full well that she would have a better chance of catching a runaway pony if she did not have to plow out of a crowd.

Axell's silent position seated on her stallion remained until a shrill whistle came from Kili. A skill that summons the black horse, and one that the woman had wished that she had not taught the youngest Durin. The sudden trot leapt the steed halfway up the long line of the company. Axell had taught Kili and Fili in the case of any form of emergency but the two seemed to enjoy abusing the privilege. The exact moment Caspian fell into step with Kili's bay pony, Axell could practically feel the whine radiating off of the man.

"I'm bored," Kili held the 'R' in his sentence way longer than he was supposed to as he complained, "do you want to play a game?"

"I...uh, sure." Axell gave up before even beginning an argument; knowing that he would not let go of an idea once he made up his mind.

"Okay!" His face lit up more than she had seen all day, and she had to suppress a chuckle at it. "I can be as big as a mountain or as small as a horse. I fly with the birds but people call in terror when they see me. What am I?"

"Easy, dragon." She answered with a nod. "...Uh..I'm rarely seen, and the main reason you know me is that of the stories you might have heard. If you were to fight me you'd lose me in the dark. Flame is the only way I can be given away. What am I?"

It was silent for a longer while than I could have imagined, Fili's voice finally breaking the long silence.

"Uh...Bolrog?" He mumbled and with obvious insecurity.

The blond cracked a small smile when she hummed while confirming telling him he was correct.

"Haha! My turn!" He teased his younger. "One head, eight limbs, size is great, brains are slim, strength is plenty, but any strategy is flimsy, and the treetops are my advantage. What am I?"

Kili was quick to answer and voiced his opinions loudly before Axell had even bothered to make an attempt to guess.

"Great Spider!" He belted, continuing on his own before he could even think. "What is large, stupid, smelly, and has a very hungry belly?"

"Bombur!" Bofur quipped teasingly from a few ponies behind, causing us three to break out into a fit of chuckles.

"Nope." Kili struggled between chuckles as he turned to watch Bombur clocking Bofur in the back of the head with the soup spoon.

"Trolls." The deep and gruff voice - which held the smallest hint of amusement - of our group leader called out simply. "I have one for our lady misfit-"

The nephews scoffed, grumbled, and growled on either side of the woman at the onetime nickname. Axell, however, kept her emotions at bay - as usual. Their uncle continued, not knowing or not caring about the noises behind him.

"What takes two forms? What is deadly in one? And harmless in the other? Blood-thirsty, and a gentle-giant? Who was a dreadful, old, and evil abomination? Who's master was the evilest of all evil?" Thorin inquired, taking - what seemed like - no time at all to think of his tricky questions.

It must have been two minutes before anybody spoke again, and even then it was her answer that broke the silence.

"Draugluin?" The brunette woman answered uneasily, not sure if the answer was correct.

The chuckle she got from the one questioning her did not help confirm or correct her thoughts in the least.

"Very impressive, young warrior, very impressive." He spoke with pride and shock, which only caused her brown brows to scrunch together further as one side of her nose was brought up in confusion.

"Draugluin? Who's Draugluin?" The small hobbit tilted his head curiously behind the three young dwarves; eyes filled with obvious wonder.

"Draugluin is the first werewolf to have ever existed, Master Baggins. He was a very destructive being and brought ruin to everything and anything that was within his path. The creature's master was Sauron the deceiver." The female archer explained simply to him directly but to a few others that remained silent enough to hear.

Her eyes scanned the faces behind her as she shifted her weight to place her hand on Caspian's rump, and while a handful of the men behind her were annoyed with the hobbit, most just muttered amongst themselves while looking ahead.

"How'd he die?" Fili wondered aloud.

"He was slain in battle, during the quest for Silmaril," Thorin stated simply.

With that, the Company grew quiet for a few long minutes until Thorin spoke again, "Axell, it appears to be your turn."

It took the brunette mere seconds to facially and emotionally respond to his comment, but it took her a moment longer to think of a question.

"I have streets, yet no stones. I have cities, yet no buildings. I have forests, yet no trees. I have rivers, yet no water. What am I?" She had stated, hearing the small hobbit speak up behind her steed quickly.

"That's a riddle!" He exclaimed excitedly, forcing his small pony into step beside the eldest dwarf at my side. "Asking riddles near me is asking for a competition."

"Then bring it on." She grinned with a flick of her brown locks over her should, moving her hand to readjust the dusty coloured collar of her shirt.

It was a movement that multiple eyes tracked, and while she refused to make it known that she had noticed she still packed the information away in her mind.

With that said, the brothers faded from her sides to allow Bilbo and her to their game. The two were the social outcasts together, and the boys still preferred to socialize with other - normal - dwarves. Bilbo quietly repeated the riddle to himself before looking at the woman with a pleased face.

"It's a map, maps have streets with no pavement, cities with no buildings, forests with no trees, and rivers with no water." He smirked cheekily, quickly giving a riddle of his own. "What comes down, but never goes up?"

Her mind thought fast, repeating his riddle in an echo, followed by answers after. _Pinecones, leaves, snow, rain...rain. _Rain.

"It's rain." A sweet smile graced her freckled features. "What goes up, but never down?"

He didn't even seem to think about that one.

"Age." He said simply. "If you drop me then I'm sure to crack, but if you smile at me then I'm sure to smile back."

"Mirror, easy...The more you take, the more you leave behind."

"Footsteps. You fill it, and it empties. A metaphor for plenty. Depending on what half you see, it's either full or empty."

"Cup-"

Their game went on for what felt like a mere hour before Axell began to challenge Bilbo, finally giving him one he got stumped on. But it was difficult for the girl to see his expression in the growing darkness.

"What is dead but grows, had no lungs but breathes, and has no mouth but drowns." Was her inquiry.

Bilbo thought aloud for the longest time, so long that even the other dwarfs were giving suggestions. But as always, he finally got it.

"Fire! It's fire!" He exclaims before trying to regain his composure. "It wasn't that hard...no legs sat on one leg, two sat on three legs, four legs got some."

She searched every corner of my mind to figure out the answer for his riddle, but no matter how hard she struggled, the answer could not be found. Out of pure dwarf stubbornness, she dragged out the process longer than it needed to be. Eventually giving in, the Company cheering for the small creature at her side for outwitting the dwarven girl.

It was in those moments that the woman realized she had subconsciously assisted in setting up camp and unload the ponies, all while having a bit of fun. Within a moment of thinking, a large majority of the Company were sleeping deeply or preparing for the day ahead. Tiredness began to beckon to her as she watched the sleeping dwarfs in her surroundings, and she too was joining them.

But her last thought was, _I never got the answer to that riddle._


	7. Learning a Detriment

_Bywater Road_

A few days after the playful competitions, the sun has begun to set and the sky was painted a luminous mixture of pinks, oranges, and reds. The fire crackled in the background of the beautiful scene, and Axell allowed herself to be swept away with the gentle sway of the breeze. The group of males stuffed their cheeks greedily as she sat on the nearby stone ground, the idea of food passing above her head. It wasn't until the loud dwarves called on her that she was forced to eat.

"Axell, have you eaten?" The loud voice of Bofur shook her out of her state.

She shook her head in response eyes following slowly over everything that glowed behind her from the sunlight.

"Well if you don't get over here then Bombur's going to eat it all." It was enough of an encouragement to get her moving.

She may be small in comparison to a number of the dwarves, but she did hate going without eating. Rising to her feet, her eyes tread back to the colours of the night sky, and the last remaining warmth of the sun as it licked everything golden. Her actions elicited an intake of breath from the youngest raven-haired male amongst the group and the noise caused her to turn to his gentle eyes. He took in the sight of her wild blue eyes as they seemed at home in the untamable outdoors around them, and the sunlight caused a halo effect around her hair and face, the orange-sunset tinted her hair and dusted her cheeks. She glowed. And he, he was content with just taking her in, the warmth from the fire tickling at the bottom of his boots.

Axell made a small movement to cover the distance between her and the fire, chuckling with a teasing comment to Bofur that even Bombur seemed to find humorous. She ate in silence, bowl laying clean beside her after a few short moments with her stomach feeling full and satisfied.

The exhaustion from the day's travel and play caught up with her quickly, and her weight began to lean into the body nearest to her. There was no sound of discomfort or annoyance from the other, so she accepted it as a sign of allowance from the other. Soon she was asleep to the world as it slowly silenced to a dull hum and she fell into a state of sleep that her body had been trained into. The dwarf beside her shifted as Axell slumped over with the signal that she was, at least mostly, asleep. The brunet gently reached up to move her brown locks from her face as to look at her better, something she would be scolding him for if she had been awake. His chestnut eyes traced her features slowly, admiring and wondering, and staring deep at the scar on her cheek. It wasn't a deep wound, and it did not mar her face any, but it was there, and it shone like it held the moonlight. An old wound from what he could tell, and one that he wouldn't know about for a long time from his best guess. She either avoided or ignored questions about her life.

"Kili, if you keep looking at her much longer you'll wake her up," Fili warned, a tone of amusement in his voice, "we've tried pranking her and when you look at her for longer than a moment, she wakes."

"I just want to count her freckles," Kili admitted softly to his elder brother, "she has many, but nowhere near as much as Ori. And also this scar, I wanted to see if I could learn anything,"

"What have you found out about that?" Fili's eyebrow rose in a curious manner, for most of the dwarves were wanting to know, but she would laugh it off as an old riding injury.

"It was a blade," Kili flicked the pad of his thumb over the feel of it on her skin, noticing that it almost felt even with the skin, "and it is quite old, not a very deep mark."

Fili nodded in acknowledgement, though his younger brother would not have noticed from where he sat looking at the girl.

She moved slightly, stretching her neck and sliding her head into the junction of Kili's neck and shoulder and curling deep into his side, trying to snag any warmth she could even in her sleep. Kili kept his hands to whittle, not entirely sure what he was making himself, but keeping himself busy for the time being. Every once in a while he would catch himself looking at her face only to watch the shadows of the fire dance across her temple. It was a few hours of him fluttering between the two before a screech let out over the sleeping Company, most laying asleep. But Axell started awake at the noise, on her knees in a second with her hand on the knife at her thigh. Her heart was in her throat; her first thought was that Orcs were upon them. Eyes locked in the direction, blue eyes blown wide in an attempt to take in her surroundings. After a few moments of hearing nothing but her heartbeat, she closed her eyes to breath and trust her gut. She was ready for a fight if it came to it. Bilbo, unknownst to her, was shooting a question to the few awake. Startling Thorin awake with a jolt at the word 'orc', which she did hear, and his movement caused her eyes to peel open and track his movements. Kili and Fili looked between the girl as she rose and their Uncle, who snarled at them for their childish ways. Balin, who was explaining a small number of things, recognized the dangerous gleam in their young woman's eyes. It was a look of someone who has had to fight one too many times.

The second that Thorin had left himself open and alone the brunette was on the move, body moving in according to itself. Her quiver was thrown over her shoulder, and the bow felt familiar under her hand. She listened silently to the story of Moria behind her as she took silent and wary steps behind the man that was brooding. He felt her presence and turned to analyze her stance and eyes, she knew something that he did not. Axell watched out past the man as he continued to study her a brief moment before turning back to the open cliffside, trying to understand or see anything that she might know about. The leader saw nothing and brushed it off as the role she had dubbed for herself; the bodyguard. He turned into the Company, continuing on his night with no indication that anything was wrong.

But she felt wrong. She stood, at the ready, with an arrow notched on her bow until late in the night. The drawstring half pulled, and ready to fire at any sign of a movement from across the gully. Eventually, she felt whatever had been there retreating, and as a final warning, she shot the arrow off into the night. A hiss of fear followed it, and she knew that she had been right, but she felt at ease. None of the others could have heard it from where they were now, but she knew the sound.

Axell turned to see everybody lively, their unsaid nerves keeping them awake for the time being. However, it was Kili and Fili's warm smiles that invited her back over to the warmth of the fire. The two mumbled a couple things to each other before she was in range to hear it. She may genuinely like the two, but she still didn't trust them. Equipping herself with a shy smile, she took slow and unsure strides towards the two watching as they began to get more chatty as she got closer. Fili made mention that he was on watch for the second half of the night, and rolled over before crumbling into a deep sleep. It was mere seconds before his light snores were heard. A dwarf trait that Axell coveted in moments such as these.

"It's a deflex isn't it?" He motioned towards the bow still held in her white-knuckled grip.

"Yes, it is." She loosened her fingers at the corner of his mouth curling upwards slightly.

"May I?" He gestured towards the weapon, and the woman passed it off trying to keep her hand from showing her hesitant side nature but failing at doing so "I'm not going to break it Axell, you mustn't worry. I know how it feels for you to be unarmed, you can go ahead and see mine. If it makes you feel better."

She took the bow he held towards her gently, but once she felt the strength in the short-bow her subconscious began to hold it correctly, thoughts streaming aloud as she inspected the make of his weapon.

"Reflex bow. Designed for power and speed. Which causes plenty of noise to follow the arrow. Reduces hand shock. Made up of multiple layers. Metal nocks. Made of oak, good quality wood. That's what's keeping it from breaking." She ranted.

"Breaking?" Axell leapt slightly when the group leader questioned her analysis of his nephew's bow.

"Yes, if a reflex bow is made out of a poor quality wood the chance of it breaking is quite high." His eyebrows furrowed as he joined Kili and Axell in their little stone alcove.

"Why would that be?" He seemed genuinely curious but was playing it up to test the knowledge of the young female warrior.

She sent him a silent look that practically screamed that he wasn't fooling her any time soon, but she entertained him nonetheless.

"It's because of how much stress that is put on the bow. If you release an arrow with that much power in the drawstring you risk snapping the bow." I tried explaining, he seemed to understand.

"What about your bow? What's the difference between yours and his?" Thorin nodded towards Axell's weapon of choice, but it was Kili who took the opportunity to answer.

"Short deflex bow. Made for silence. Reduces hand shock. Made up of one solid layer, as if it needed to be crafted immediately. Continuously taken care of. Low stress on the bow, which makes for less speed and power. But, like I said already, it is made for silence. Front metal plating. Solid metal nocks and they have sharp metal hooks on them." He examined the nocks curiously. "I've actually never seen that before. It's as if this bow was made for long distance and short distance fighting."

"That's correct," Axell muttered to him as curiosity ran over his features.

"Why is that?" Thorin inquired.

Axell made a short motion with her hand, signalling for Kili to hand it back, trading it with his own. She stood and made a short distance between herself and the leader before he followed her to a clearer section of the camp. She took hold of his sword, tossing it in his direction before standing prepared for a duel. The man before her just started obliviously at her, though she knew that he knew what she wanted.

"Now advance towards me," She ordered politely.

He listened and advanced cautiously. Though because Axell was only demonstrating there was no need for his to rush at her. It was not her intention to hurt anyone in this small band of misfits. As he got closer, she allowed the metal hook to catch on the hand of his sword as the front plating knocked the blade away, successfully yanking the sword from his grasp with ease. He stood, with a mildly impressed expression, but a gleam of mischievousness in his eyes. A murmur from the audience rang out.

"It seems like you know what you're doing. But I want to watch you, see how good you really are. To see if you need more than the training you may have." He spoke surely, nodding at Dwalin.

Dwalin understood the gesture and appeared before her, his tall and muscular body dwarfing mine. In under five seconds, he and she were in a 'life or death' battle. Him armed with twin battleaxes, and the long shaft allowing him a larger swing and a longer reach. It was difficult for her to fight him with nothing but her bow, though she knew that she had her dagger. It was for nothing but Thorin's entertainment. The fool. Axell was constantly dodging the blunt head of his axes, obviously capable of blowing through armour. But Dwalin started to slow down, his energy dwindling quickly.

Once he was worn down a little did Axell begin to dominate in the small battle but another came in to assist him, Gloin to be precise. His battleaxe was much easier to parry due to the average lengthens haft, she could easily maneuver around his blows while Dwalin still took a few random swings. Thorin was expecting the girl to use the bow she still held, but it was difficult to do against the sharp blades. She sidestepped in a pile of pine needles and used it to distract Gloin by unexpectedly kicking a large amount of it up and into his alarmed face, and she didn't stand still long enough to catch his priceless look as he stumbled backwards and tripping himself with his own feet. She just focused on hooking one of Dwalin's knuckle dusters and yanking on it so suddenly that his grip on an axe loosened, causing it to fly far out of his reach.

He was almost completely unarmed, and she would have had him to if it weren't for a third dwarf helping Gloin to his feet and rushing forward alongside his younger brother. It was much easier to use the metal plating of the bow against the simple fighting stick, deflecting his blows towards the two other rushing dwarfs. Once she began to use their weapons against each other she knew she had weakened them. And yanking out the dagger on her hip only evened the odds. A grin had managed to form on her face at this knowledge, growing larger every time a dwarf tripped over another. However, it soon faded when another dwarf jumped into the mix, a mixture of limbs soon becoming the only thing in my vision.

Four to one. It was unfair at best, especially considering what she had to use against them. Axell, in a fit of annoyance, tossed the dagger hilt-deep into a nearby tree before using another one to mount one of the dwarves' shoulders to swing him to the group. Her brows were furrowed in concentration as she knocked weapons from hands, turning to sweep the feet out from one of her attackers. Two were down, one was exhausted, and the other was still fresh in the game. It was him who had beaten her, catching a nock with a gleaming twin sword and tossing it out of her reach, holding the other to her heavily rising chest.

It was only then that Axell actually took the time to notice who had joined in when Dwalin began to dwindle. Fili had been the one to disarm and defeat her in the midst, Oin had jumped in after Gloin, and Gloin came to the aid of Dwalin. Fili and Axell were both breathing heavily, although he had only been in for a short moment, the two on the ground remained there groaning, and Dwalin was heaving as he collapsed beside Thorin. Thorin, who noticed the slight tremor in Axell's hands as she readjusted her sleeves. She caught the silent hum of approval before a cough covered it unnecessarily.

"You did well. But you could still use some training." His expression was cold and blank, but she could see the impressed glint in his eyes.

Axell nodded in response, knowing that he was saying more than he was letting on and he turned to talk to Dwalin. The woman helped the other two to their feet before placing a gentle hand on Fili's elbow smiling gently at him before they took their place beside his brother.


	8. The Pony Incident

_Bywater Road_

Two weeks have passed since the Orcs were heard, and the Company has been allowed to sleep in silence since. Everyone - especially poor Bilbo - was undergoing training of some sort just in case there is ever a moment that it is needed. Axell normally does not take part but makes comments and distractions from time to time. Unless it is Bilbo, then she hollers some unintelligent nonsense that makes no sense to the dwarves, but it is an old hobbit language to Bilbo. She is practically training him from above him, pointing out footing or stance while he is working the sword. Dwalin has caught on. The young girl is quite used to the intensity of the dwarves and ignores most of their actions or words when their moods change. She has lived on the road for the past fifteen years, there is not much that startled her at this point in her life.

The day had been silent, and peaceful. There were about two or three hours left of riding in the day before anyone would be calling for camp. And Bree would probably be hit around noon or just after overmorrow. The ponies were spaced out, Axell about a yard or two behind the nearest pony, enjoying the silence and time alone for a little while. She sometimes enjoyed just people watching, catching things that other people would not normally notice, or even just make out how Bilbo was getting along with some of the other dwarves.

She was not trusted with much more than trailing the end of the pack, and occasionally sent out to hunt something if Thorin was feeling especially trustworthy that day. More often than not they send Kili out with her when she does go, perhaps hoping that they may both bring back something a little larger if they can go together. Every so often, Fili and Kili get sent with her, but that may just be that Thorin wants the most troublesome of the group out of his hair all at once for a few hours.

It was not until mid-afternoon that things began to get out of hand, the boys started to play-fight while horseback, not beyond ordinary. The trees swayed in the calm summer breeze, the small rays of sunlight peeking through the leaves and warmed her skin. The river rushed elegantly over to the left, joyfully rumbling on. It was steady, serene even, but it was snuffed out quickly.

"HA!"

The noise came from at least a hundred feet before her, startling the skin off of her flesh - nearly an impossible task to manage - and Axell watched as the pony of the youngest Durin line leapt off the ground entirely, taking off fearfully into the raging water beside it. Axell kept any emotions at bay and rushed to aid, watching Fili follow after his brother in a panic as Caspian swallowed up the ground beneath us.

Just as Axell's steed got to the bank, she noticed that the water was engulfing the both of them as they struggled together. Her throat drying as she noticed Kili having a harder time and Fili's energy began to fade. Before Axell could dismount into the water, Thorin was already in and chasing them down as the river thundered on relentlessly. Caspian stomped impatiently, and Axell leapt off him as he swung around to round up the ponies that sputtered about uncontrollably. It took a short moment to reach his beloved nephews and drag them both back, Fili rounding Kili over him more as he fought to help his uncle some.

Dwalin rushed into the river and waited in the more manageable shallows to help drag in the boys as they got closer. It was the sudden shrill that split the ears of those nearby that reclaimed Axell's attention. Her head whipped in the direction at the sight of a half-soaked Ori attempting to free Kili's spooked stead from where his reigns were caught in the rocks. Before Axell could even register her next actions, she was already leaping into the freezing water. The temperature bit and pinched her skin as she took an intake of breath, when she broke the surface, in shock. She continued forward and wrapped her body around Ori's, pinning his arms to his sides. The rock was slick beneath her feet as she raised herself a little higher. She tossed the young dwarf with ever strength that she could summon, watching on in relief as her brothers caught him.

Once Ori was out of the way, she turned her attention back to the crazed pony. He was thrashing, yanking, and jerking at the reins that held him captive, and there was only one way to get him free with him killing anyone.

"Boys!" Axell yelled with such an urgency that she gain everyone's attention immediately.

She had even noticed, as she moved the hair stuck to the left side of her face, that she got a glance from an occupied Thorin and Dwalin. Nori dove into the rocky riverbed when a hoof struck the air near his head.

"Out of the way!" Axell learned one thing in these past few weeks; Dwarves move faster than physically possible when they hear those words.

After the men scattered, Axell lunged forward through the harsh, cold water that wrapped around her body. She had managed to cut open the leather strap for her dagger at the angle she pulled it out, and she surged forward between the rock and the pony to reach and slice the leather that bound the pony which constricted the creature. The leather cut with a resounding _snap_ alerting everyone that the pony was loose. Axell let out an exhale as the animal came to life with realization, limbs flying in all directions. The girl attempted to move before anything could catch her and had almost succeeded before sidestepping from a front leg and getting clipped in the side by a hind leg. The sheer power forced her small body it the jagged edge of the stone that rose from the water. Her mind faded and her body went limp as she sunk into the water, everything painfully cold as the air rushed from her body. The other dwarves, while extremely concerned, could not do anything as they had to wait for the animal to get out of the way so no one else got injured. After a few seconds, the pony broke into a straight bolt in the complete opposite direction of the river.

Bofur jumped at the opportunity and dragged the girl from the water, Fili leaping up with the little strength he had and rushed to her side once reassured that his younger brother was fine. Axell was unresponsive, just lying still and numb to the touch. She could hear them vaguely.

But she was tired and cold. She could not remember how to move or get up.

Bofur was attempting to get her to breath again, knocking against her chest in rhythm. However, he was quickly shoved off by the desperate blond when his efforts were not working. Ice blue eyes desperately watched for anything coming from the woman as he threw a fist into impatient beats against her chest.

"Axell! Come on! Breathe!" Multiple voices yelled in panic, Thorin passed Kili up to a mounted Dwalin before rushing over and pushing some of the dwarves back, telling them to get on their ponies.

It had finally knocked some air into her lungs, chasing out any water that was in them. And while she had gained enough consciousness to roll onto her side, it wasn't enough to keep her from fading out again.

Some breath had returned, and once she stilled from coughing and spewing water she stilled again. Her skin was frozen to the touch, and Fili engulfed her small form and pulled her into his arms as he stood. Thorin taking her from him as he mounted his pony, only to hand her up again when he was ready.

They needed to get to Bree much sooner than overmorrow.


	9. Lesson Learnt

_Bywater Road_

Axell let out a ragged gasp and struggled to escape the arms holding her in place, she had woken from the repetitive memory that had happened mere hours before. The bulky arms of the dwarf holding her had restricted her movements, suggesting that he had held her from doing anything the moment she stirred. She was blinded by panic, attempting to escape. The one holding her said nothing to her nor the others, but continued humming a tune that vibrated his chest against her own as her eyesight came into focus. Axell slumped forward into his hold, exhaling long and hard. It was calming, and she eventually relaxed as he held onto her tucking her head beneath his chin, his heartbeat in her ear. Her rapidly beating heart slowed to match his as she concentrated on it, exhausted already.

"Fi-" Her voice cracked unpleasantly, but nonetheless Fili hummed in curiosity. "What happened to Ki-"

"He's alright, took on a little too much water. But he'll be just fine." His voice was calm and he spoke carefully, almost as if he was trying to coax her back to sleep.

"Where are we?" She could feel her voice starting to sound less scratchy.

"We are on Bywater Road still, we are stopping at Bree. Everybody needs the break." He soothingly said.

"Okay..how is everybody? Are they-" She was cut off, her questions weak and shaky.

"Axell, everybody is fine. They are unharmed and healthy. The only one that sustained an alarming injury would be you. Now please, go back to sleep." Fili reassured.

With that, she relaxed into his gentle grip and allowed herself to be taken back into the darkness of sleep.

"Hey, Fili! She making noise yet, if she doesn't wake up within the next few minutes then changes are she won't." The medic called from behind the dwarf.

"I beg your pardon!" Kili hollered in his exhausted state, causing their uncle to shush him.

"Yeah, Oin. She just stirred, but she's back to sleep now. Must have a thick skull." Fili announced.

"Well, she is part dwarf," Gandalf called over his shoulder as he led the group.

"Weirdest dwarf woman that I've met," Gloin remarked before some of the dwarves interrupted his train of thought.

_Bree_

When Axell awoke, all her surroundings were clouded, and noises were muffled and voices were unidentifiable. She could not think straight, and any and all of her thoughts were fogged. Nothing made sense. Her body pounded in agony, her mind overloading with lack of senses. She couldn't find the strength to speak and the most she could muster was a pain filled groan.

"Axell...we're in Bree...concussion...we are going to take care of you..Oin knows...what he's doing.." It was the same soothing voice that Axell had grown to enjoy though she refused to admit it. Yet it sounded so different to her, seeing as how it was heavy with concern compared to the bubbly and carefree tone it normally held.

She groaned in response, trying to get across that it was understood. However, she could not tell if it had worked since darkness stole aware her vision once again.

An unrecognizable and inhuman noise was the first audible thing that reached Axell's ears after what had felt like an eternity of uncontrolled slumber. It took much longer than it should have for her to realize that she was the source of the wretched sound. Immediately there were hands on her head, arms, neck, anywhere that seemed to be keeping her from sitting up. The warmth was uncomfortable against her already burning body, causing her to sit up faster than they would have wished. Once she was in the upright position, her head and ears throbbed with dehydration; causing her to search for fluids of some kind. Axell's glassed over eyes were giving her a difficult to see past, causing more frustration than any other emotion. Thoughts rumbled through her skull as noises around her started to become coherent.

_Where am I? What happened? Where is the company? Why can't I see anything? I need water. _It was then that a voice cut through the thoughts, startling her out of any mental stumbling about she was having.

"I don't believe that we will be jumping into any more rivers any time soon, isn't that correct, Axell?" The old wizard's voice was soothing to the ears, causing some of her overworking senses to calm.

The voice who spoke next was not as easy on her head.

"You can't just assume wizard, you need to tell her. Give her a consequence. That's how dwarves learn." His voice was harsh, gruff, and demanding.

"Now, Thorin. Believe me, when I say, she has learned." Gandalf sent back harshly as he watched the girl rotate and rub the muscles in her neck.

Thorin did not say anything after, and neither was Axell pressed to respond. In fact, her tongue was basically glued to the roof of her mouth with thirst. She bounded about a foot in the air when a Company member suddenly appeared in her vision. The young Ori cleared in her foggy sight, smiling sheepishly, with an appealing cup of water clutched in his hands. She grinned back appreciatively at the juvenile dwarf, for he was definitely smarter than he appeared. It was in that moment in which the dwarf she has been spending most of her time with, decided to sneak up on her. She could feel the slight dip in the bed just before the dwarf arms wound around her midsection, his cheek resting on her shoulder. Axell was about to turn to see who it was, however, the scruffy chin scratching her neck gave him away. She leaned into his touch ever so slightly and attempted to raise her arms to grasp the wooden cup held toward her. With the assistance of Ori, she managed to get the cup in her weak hands. However, about halfway to her mouth, her grip started to fail. If it weren't for the suddenly appearing hands, she knew that she would have dropped the cup entirely. Glancing up, Axell made eye contact with a very concerned looking Fili, if it weren't for her weak and tired state she would have attempted to joke or lighten the mood.

"You've been in and out for a couple of days, darling," The younger muttered into Axell's neck, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"Aye, we thought we might lose you. Twice." The blond explained with a serious tone, holding her hair away from her face so that she could easier access the liquid. "Though, we discovered how tough you are, fought through it better than any other dwarf I've met."

Fili took away the cup when he thought that Axell might choke on its contents as she greedily sucked it back, and her blue eyes met his with a look that pulled on his heartstrings in ways they shouldn't. For that, he gave her a scolding look.

"These two are exaggerating when they say we nearly lost you, they were panicking. You've been in and out, here and there, for maybe two days. Might have a mild concussion but are otherwise fine." The healer grumbled, the rest of the group making an agreeing noise.

"Couple days?" Her voice was hoarse and harsh from lack of use, "The lot of you could've left without me. I would've caught up."

A new voice cut through her thoughts, the gravelly voice grating on her sensitive ears.

"Oin would have had to stay behind, and both my nephews refused to leave you. I could not leave behind the loyal ones who responded to my call without question." Thorin's harsh tone caused the two caring for her to stop and glare deathly at their beloved uncle.

The remainder of the night was spent vaguely listening to Thorin's plans for future travel. But she was not able to listen to Thorin and his grumpy tone. Instead, she was thoroughly distracted by the loving actions of the young dwarves, and the sweet whispers of affections coming from the younger. That is how she drifted to sleep.


	10. Curiosities and Concerns

_Bree_

The Company had been in Bree for approximately a week before anyone considered getting on the move again. Axell had shaken the worst of her problems and has been in perfect travelling health, but the stubbornness of a number of dwarves kept them tied in place for a day or two more.

It was dark outside of the large window, night having fallen long ago, though no one was asleep. Thorin, Kili, Bilbo, Ori, and Gandalf were the only ones in the room, the others had managed to find the tavern to enjoy themselves and any drinks they could find. Axell could tell from the way Thorin's eyes were trained on her as he conversed with Gandalf, and that he would make his way over to her within the next few moments. Though, she was mostly distracted by Bilbo as he sat on the end of the bed, Ori who somehow was balanced on the edge of the bed, and Kili who was cuddled up as close as he could be near her head. All of them were playful, teasing each other with gentle comments, and Kili flirting gently with the female.

After a few short moments had passed from the time that Axell had noticed Thorin to the time he took the initiative to chase everyone from the room. His pale eyes marked Axell's oceanic ones, daring her to argue against him.

"You've caused a lot of trouble," his voice slowly unraveled, his displeasure evident with a stony anger.

"My apologies," The girl's tone was tired but an honest attempt to keep up with mood.

"You've wasted plenty of good supplies." His anger started to ignite.

"My apologies," her voice shook in the slightest but held the panic and worry to herself.

"We've wasted valuable time," and it was then that his anger went up flames, his sight blinded by red.

"My apologies," It was such a silent apology that the girl believed he hadn't heard it, although, in the anger he had himself in, he might not have heard anything that was said to him.

"And yet I still worry about you, and I don't know why." the tension seemed to dissipate as if someone had dumped a barrel of ice over his aggravated self.

The stunned silence that held between the two was tense and emotionless, and Axell had no emotional response to his newfound concern. Her fingers and tongue had gone numb with confusion as her thoughts froze to a standstill in curiosity. Thorin took the silence as an opportunity to continue.

"What in Middle Earth made you think that it would be okay to risk your life like that?" His concern dripped like an overflowing bucket.

"It was either Ori or me." Her stunned self could finally able make a comprehensive sentence.

"What?" And it was that fact which seemed to piss him off, whether it be from concern or anger was beyond knowledge to anyone who entered the room or witnessed their conversation.

"It was either Ori got killed, or I got killed. I thought I was more expendable." Axell explained more thoroughly.

In the awkward silence of the admission, the woman had begun to understand the answers to a couple of private questions that she had left open to herself. She refused to make eye contact with the man as his brows furrowed together while thinking.

"Seriously?" His anger was reignited, though for a completely different reason.

"My apologies?" Axell was not sure if she was meant to apologize for her answer, or rather if she should just prepare to pack up her things and consider her time with the Company finished.

"Don't apologize." The apologies only served as kindling for the anger that surged beneath his skin, but unbeknownst to him, she knew little else to say to people of authority.

"My apolo-" Axell could feel a fire explode from the man before it released.

"What did I just say?!" He bellowed, and Axell could practically see the smoke pouring out from his ears for a fraction of a second.

It took every muscle in her body to not repeat the words that had caused him to respond in this way.

"Thank you. Now I want to know what made you think that any of us would prefer you dead than Ori," he was confused and he stood as if it was that feeling alone that displeased him.

"Ori is family to all of you," the woman shrugged helplessly at the thought, "I was brought along to be made useful."

"And that had made you think that we did not care about your well-being?" Never mind, everything and anything the woman said appeared to displease him.

"Hardly any of you make an effort to talk to me," that was the truth; very few of them made the effort to know the woman who had been signed to their sides since the beginning.

"That does not mean that we do not care," and now Axell was the confused one of the conversation.

"Then it means what exactly?" She attempted to ask without the snap behind her words but any efforts were futile.

Her hair was pushed in front of her, concealing everything but her eyes from the other as the two stared each other down. Axell analyzing his stance and aggression, waiting for a fight that she had yet to understand whether or not it was to come. Blue fought against blue in a fight for dominance, and she made the decision to not back down first. It was Thorin who turned away first, more in annoyance than in a willingness to submit, but he had done it nonetheless.

"We've all learned to not trust so easily; some of us the hard way." The man held a wolfish grin to his words as he appeared to snarl in disgust.

"You don't think I have?" Now it was Axell who was pissed beyond words.

"Have you?" The man tilted his head in interest at what she may have to say.

"Yes," it was one simple word, but it was the bite behind it that kept the dwarf from daring to talk any more about the subject.

"It appears that I now know, and therefore, we now have one thing in common." It was not what she had been trying to say to the man, but it was as close as she was going to get and accepted it as the finale of his discussion. "You are not to put yourself in harm's way for any of us again, that will be my job only. Is that understood?"

His sudden harshness was surprising, nonetheless, his protective leader instincts were understandable.

"Understood," Both were silent at the moment, Thorin's thoughts were spinning like a firework.

Axell allowed herself the moment to bask in the silence that filled the room. Her eyes soaked up the cool glow of the moonlight and counted the stars that shone overhead from her position on the bed. The girl knew that, as this man has some need for filling the silence, her moment would not last long. The lamps flickered carelessly as Thorin sat on the bed opposite of her own. A broken shutter could be heard squealing outward just before it thudded against the building as the wind toyed with it. Out in the hall, mice could be heard in the rafters as it was drenched in an eerie silence. Half of the room was swept with the moonlight as it shone through the murky glass while the other half of the room was given a peaceful glow. It was simple for the woman to focus on the physical aspects of the room rather than addressing the foreign stare of Thorin.

"Tell me, why do you not trust?" Not a single emotion was visible through the question as he leaned to see her face better.

Axell turned her head back towards him at the question, allowing him to catch some of her thought patterns before she blocked him with her hair.

"I have held many close to heart than I should have," she was careful to give him the facts, "most of which have tried to kill me and those who had not, vanished."

"You need to find yourself some better friends, my dear, that is considered almost inhumane, even for dwarves." He attempted to create a joke from the words she had said. "Why in all of Middle-Earth would you want to be associated with that?"

"Kill or be killed. It is how I was raised, I didn't have much of a decision." And while she told the truth, she avoided saying any more.

He hummed aloud, his mind processing what had just been admitted. Then he finally seemed to notice how late it truly was, especially after the large yawn the girl had expelled.

"Get some rest, you need it. We will be traveling again soon." With that he left the room, and she was soaked in night sounds and lamp lighting.

Axell slept soundly. Not a thing had woken her for the first time in about eight years.


	11. Wake Up Call

_Bree_

Axell was woken up in a rude manner with a shout uncomfortably close to her head. She was tempted to prove and express her displeasure, however, there was no excess of energy in her body that morning. Instead the woman kept it to a grumble while her face contorted into a sleepy scowl at the headache that immediately began to pound at her skull. A soothing murmur worked to comfort her and its owner watched on happily as her tightened brows released. Roughened dwarf fingers worked over the tangled wavy hair that had fallen over her freckled face, gently moving it out of the way in order to see her clearly. The brunet male shifted his weight to sit on the bed, and as the mattress dipped, Axell forced her eyes open to the sluggish room.

The sun had not yet dawned, though the light that peered in through the closed window said that it was not far from doing so. Most of the dwarves were dressed and packing the supplies, ready and eager to get back on the move, and some others moped around the room attempting to find their clothing from where they had drunkenly placed it last night. No lamps were lit with the exception of the one nearest to the door, for the hallway had no lighting at this time in the morning, and the walls were bathed in a blue light.

"Morning, sleepyhead." The young brunet dwarf's warm and gentle breath whisked across Axell's cheeks as he whispered huskily.

He had leaned in close to her while playing with her hair distractedly, his nose nearly brushed against her temple as she sat up to look for him in her sleepy haze. Though she had become mentally paralyzed from conjuring words at his close proximity, but her eyes worked perfectly fine. Kili's eyes shone in delight when her lips upturned in a greeting to his delirious one gazing at him in a delight of her own at the raven-coloured hair that sat askew atop his head. His face was given a memorable hue when the pale blue shone through the murky glass and a youthful glow came from his sleepy happiness.

A tumbled attempt to speak coherently came from Axell that had sounded suspiciously like 'morning'.

The young male dwarf beside her hitched his breath in what she had believed to be amusement, but his blond brother could see Kili watch her as if she were crystal to him. Fili knew that it was a feeling much different than amusement. Axell, was a little nerved by the new side to the brunet that stared at her, never seeing this look in his eyes. Though, she took advantage of the brief moment to notice and watch this new side to the man; a side that bared a deeper part of him to her. Kili realized that his grin had slipped and plastered on a default one as he spoke.

"Today, we are leaving," the man explained quietly as his hair fell into his face, "some of us took the liberty to pack your things. Bofur laid out your clean clothes and we've got food for you when you are ready for it."

Axell had borrowed a change of clothing from Kili after the hypothermia had set into her, though she had no memory of being changed. Kili, while he did offer first, turned out to be the smallest of the dwarf men with the warmest clothing. Ori's knitted clothing having too many holes to be considered warm and Bilbo was much too small.

The woman sat still in a haze as she processed what had been said to her, coming to an incorrect assumption as she thought over everything that would have been done according to his words.

"Those of you who packed up my things did not need to," a slim whine could just be heard in her tone by those who were in range of hearing her words, "I am perfectly capable of waking up along with the rest of you and packing my own items."

Gentle brown eyes searched the oceanic blue ones, attempting to catch her attention without saying a word. A soft chuckle claimed the air at the woman's widened eyes and a firm hand pushed down on her knee to keep her from launching up from her seat. And she kept her eyes on his, a breath released in a collapse of pressure, the woman sinking into the mattress as they had an unsaid communication of their own.

"We wanted to." A prideful gleam struck his face in a harsh contrast to what his eyes were speaking. "You have been ill and needed to regain your strength, besides, Oin said to let you rest because you will be needing more strength even still."

A huff of annoyance broke free from Axell's lungs, though if she were to be honest with herself, she still felt as if she could sleep the day away. It did not make her feel any less of a burden to the others, but she could be grateful for the time being, and flashed an appreciative smile to the young dwarf.

"Very well, you win this time," the woman dipped her head, causing her hair to fall and the dwarf before her to expel a throaty chuckle, "thank you."

Axell fought with herself for a brief moment before bringing herself to sit on the bed, coming to eye level with Kili. She could feel his breath on her cheeks and the nerves in her lungs were tingling at their close proximity, it was a feeling that Axell had never experienced and it frightened her in a way. Though as Kili huffed a light, open-mouthed smile, her fears drifted to the back of her mind and she returned a close-lipped smile of her own.

Peeling their eyes apart, Axell's eyes drifted to the neatly folded pile of clothing on the bed across from her own. A heaving breath came from the girl as she flung her brown hair over her shoulder and rotated her shoulders in a surge of strength used to push herself off the bed. Her feet hit the floor in silence as she slouched against the bed-frame in order to straightened her legs. She has been in bed for days. One foot in front of the other, Axell wobbled to the other bed, fingers grasping onto the shirt at the top of the pile. A glance around the room told the woman that it would only be a moment before she could get changed. Before she could get ready to head out yet again.

After a few moments of breathing, she turned to the man hovering at her back. Clearly ready and waiting for her to need his assistance. The woman peered over her shoulder into the adoring gleam in his eyes, and she returned the look, noticing the others leave in an uncharacteristic silence. His eyes racked her face before turning to catch the expression on the last of the exiting dwarves. A grin overcame his features; one of mischievousness and playfulness. His eyebrows quirked in humor as Axell turned with crossed arms and a pointed look.

"You think that you can kick me out?" He teased, an obviously fake angered tone.

"I believe that I can," said the woman while repeating his tone, a smile of enjoyment at his amusement crossing her face, "and I will."

The man before her let out a quiet laugh. Both of their chest nearly touching with the close proximity between them; the only reason that Axell backed down from getting into an argument with the man. A chuckle was let out at her discomfort and brown eyes crinkled at the edges in mirth. It was that exact expression that the dwarf girl had come to memorize.

"Alright," another step towards Axell was taken just to watch the woman squirm between him and the bed, "then I guess it is time for me to head out."

The man kept eye contact with her as he backed away, just until he had to turn in order to walk to the door without tripping. His heavy and durable boots resounded on the wooden floor in the silence of the room. And Axell padded after him, sliding herself along until she was sandwiched between his body and the door, puffing her chest out to prove her confidence. Kili's height was easily two heads above her own, not that either minded. A sly grin was on her face as she raised herself on her toes for a moment before dropping back down, and once she knew that she had his attention captured, she turned on the charm.

"Leaving so soon," a head tilt and the tip of her tongue glued to the tip of her front teeth while grinning, toying with him in return for his brazen actions, "and without a fight?"

Brown eyes were wide with a paralytic shock, the emotions he was feeling in the moment hitting the both of them in waves, and the man exhaled hurriedly as her eyes remained trained to his own.

Axell, while uncomfortable when a man initiates the game, was ruling champion. Years of patience and practice. She knew how to get a man to cripple in fear, in a spur of courage, or even in lust. It was what she had made herself to be in order to get anywhere in the world she has lived. While she had not wanted to play any games with the Company - especially one as young as herself - it was the young man who brought it on. And she was not one to lose easily.

Upon watching the door shut and hearing the finalizing click, the small woman began sluggishly dressing. She hadn't the strength to properly pack her sack and instead just shoved them tightly into the open pouch. And with a quick glance around the room, Axell closed the flap and shrugged on her clothing, noting the silence and emptiness the room engulfed her with. Feeling slightly horrified at the sudden dose of unwanted emotions, she shook her head and continued towards the door.

It was early enough that the man at the counter was asleep enough that he hadn't noticed the small woman even pass him, but was coherent enough to groan a thanks at the tip placed on the counter for him.

Once out the door, the blue eyed beauty took notice of the rambunctiously silence crew of half mounted dwarves. Some had been attempting to wrangle up the woman's steed, who held an air of defiance as he stubbornly gave them all a difficult time while still being obedient. A shrill whistle from the girl had him kneeling for her to seat herself upon him.

"Good Caspian," her brown hair blending with his midnight mane as she leaned forward to place a kiss on his neck, "atta-boy."

Sitting up, the horse took it as his cue to stand, and once he was stable did she notice the additions to him. A gentle black set of reins sat upon his withers and a matching saddle beneath her. With a grin the woman began tying her sack to the saddle, which looked clean and unused to her and unlike any on any of the ponies, and giving a small smirk at the thought that maybe it was a form of an informal apology from the group collectively. Her movements were slow and deliberate, feeling the leather and fur beneath the scars on her palms and callouses on her fingers.

A gentle smile softened her harsh eyes and made the scars on her face less prominent. And for a very brief moment, the Company forgot that she was the hardest and toughest of them, that she was the secret weapon rather than Thorin Oakenshield. Most of them turned away from her and continued on in their conversations by the time that the freckled brunette had grabbed a hold of both the reigns and her steed's mane and turned forward to signal the lead of the group. Thorin had done nothing to acknowledge her aside from hollering in Khuzdul and kicking his pony into motion.

Though none of the members had made much effort to speak to her for a few more hours, she knew that she had a place among them.

It may not be a large or significant place, but it was a place nonetheless.


	12. Incapable

_The Great East Road_

It had been a boring few weeks since departing Bree, in Axell's opinion anyway. Though, the girl had been bred for more daring adventures. In complete honesty, most of the Company had begun to grow entertained with her annoyance, but felt the same antsy feelings that grew in her.

"It's been the same old unentertaining events for the past few weeks," Kili whined, showing a obvious displeasure to the lack of excitement, "I need something to happen."

"It most likely will not stay quiet for much longer Kili, don't worry. For now, please, attempt to enjoy it a little," Axell's blue eyes rolled at his boyish tone, but a small smirk pulled up her cheek and distorting the scar that sat there.

"I suppose you're right, but it still doesn't change the fact that I'm bored." A smirk shone in the eyes of the raven haired dwarf his brown eyes, and his age appeared through his attitude. "Want to have a competition?!"

Being one of three archers, the man felt the need to prove his abilities as an archer. He was brought along for his skill and ability to hunt at a long distance. However, with the female archer being in the group with her abilities rivaling his own, his pride and ego had taken a dive. Unnecessarily so because the woman was brought not as a hunter but rather a professional in disappearing and fighting. And while Thorin could use the bow, he took his stance as royalty and preferred to use his swordsmanship and strength.

A sigh escaped the woman as she considered his offer. She could deny him, which not only would prolong his whining, but also prolong her own boredom. With a barely contained smirk, the woman launched to her feet. A quick flick of her toes had her bow launching up and into her grasp with an elegantly as swung around to fist her quiver simultaneously.

"You know what? You're so on!" Her normally tense voice had softened, and carried a sing-song tone to it, as if it had relaxed.

The sound itself sounded foreign to the rest of the group, causing some to startle and others to stare. Axell, for the first time that they all had heard her, sounded at ease and - though she wasn't quiet - a little gentle. Gandalf and a short handful of the older and wiser dwarves had given each other a humored but knowing glance as the young man dashed after her into the dense trees. Their yelling was incoherent, but full of mirth and freedom that they would not be robbed of so soon despite the growing darkness.

The oceanic blue eyes of the woman had adjusted the instant any remains of light had disappeared and she moved like a ghost through the forest, a habit long created. Brown hair swallowed her vision as she sunk beneath the roots a tree, waiting out her opponent as he trudged and thrashed through the trees. Stopping just a foot beneath her, he tossed about, attempting to find her in the darkness. Her ears could pick up on the hushed, heavy breaths coming from the trained hunter while his footsteps settled down waiting to feel movement while he struggled to hear past his heartbeat. The girl wiggled upward and onto the outstretched roots placing down her bow and quiver as he did. He remained crouched, waiting and listening, oblivious to her position. Her only game-plan was to out-wait him. As he stood to peer around, the girl launched herself upon him, causing them both to tumble down the hill. The small woman had righted herself in the decent, but the man was not as lucky and remained in an uncontrolled and merciless fall. By the time the two had hit the ground, Kili had a dusting of dirt and a few determined leaves stuck to him. Axell chuckled shamelessly at him and proceeded to shake off the rush in her chest at the playful glare his eyes bore into her.

She dashed off, or attempted to, but the man was hot on her heels and ready for revenge. As they both sprinted into a tiny clearing, the girl slowed her speed, believing she would have outrun him. Though she was quickly surprised when his arms wrapped around his middle and they both rolled into the grass. A small wrestling match begun from his actions, and there was no intentions with it ending any time soon.

The girl may not have been capable of throwing this man's strength, unlike the last, because his fighting style matched her own. He was strong in comparison to her, and his body was twice as thick with muscles in all the right places in her own opinion. However, in comparison to a dwarf, he was very much lacking. He was considered lithe and fragile. Which as untrue as that would prove to be in a fight against any other creature, it was her disadvantage. She knew both defensive and offensive, true. But he could read her movements before she knew what her next plan of attack was herself.

But then again, she was enjoying his attention, his eyes being trained on her, watching how she moved.

And what guy wants his ego ripped out from under him?

The girl had one final trick up her sleeve. One that she knew that he was mentally not prepared for. So she angled her body and arched her back, tensing every muscle in her legs, watched how he smirked, his eyes flashing brightly, and gave him one final chuckle of enthusiasm. And she ran. Sprinting back to camp with everything she had in her, or as much as she could muster after delivering blows for the past ten minutes.

"Hey!" His voice, while it held unbridled surprise, held no anger or frustration.

But since he had only used his energy to block her blows, had more strength to pursue her. He shot forward, and by the time she had made it a couple feet up the hill, caught her in his arms with a slight squeeze that kept her firm against him. Axell struggled against him as he chuckled, tossing her weight until they tripped over each other. She braced for impact but it was Kili that took the brunt of the fall. He grinned at her with an air of mischievousness, as if they hadn't solidly collided with the ground.

"You may know how to fight, but I will win a wrestling match against you easily," his voice was playful as he constricted his arms around her, one keeping her to him and the other holding down her arms.

"You gonna put your money where your mouth is?" The eagerness in Axell's voice was what warned him.

"I'm prideful," rolling so that she was stuck beneath him, both of them struggling to show the other that they too were tougher than they believed, "not stupid."

Axell heaved her body upward, giving her enough space to turn beneath him so that they were face to face. And at just the right time, Kili dropped onto her, trapping her body beneath his. With a sharp knee to his ribs, the brunette had shucked his weight to the side just enough that she squirmed out and almost freed herself. But with the reflexes that made him an archer, grabbed her waist in his hands and dragged her beneath his weight. It took him only a moment from there to overpower her. His shin pinned down her own against the moist ground and his hands held her wrist just beside her shoulders in the dirt, close enough that she couldn't move her elbows up. Though, she had frozen once she realized their close proximity. Kili's chest was pressed heavily on her own, limiting any of her movements to breathing alone.

The man's breath was warm against her cheek, and he huffed a laugh out, "Oh, but I should have been a little stupid. Shouldn't I have?"

Kili himself hadn't realized their position until he caught her gaze, and then went wide, and Axell could not remember a time that she had been pulled off the ground at a faster rate.

"Kili! ... Axell! ... It's getting late! ... Come on! ... Kili, uncle wants you both back!" The familiar voice cut through the silence.

Both of them shot a look through the darkening forest, walking through the trees and stumbling into each other. Grabbing their things along the way, Kili reached forward, pulling out shrubs from the woman's hair. And Axell, feeling a little brave, wiped a smear of dirt from his brow. She allowed him to lead them back to camp, knowing it was out of generosity and not her need.

The fire came into view, and a sense of warning and unsteadiness shot through Axell's spine causing her to pause just before appearing. Kili passed through the bush line and his elder sibling launched through the air and onto the younger. The younger dwarf being forced into yet another wrestling match. Axell allowed a brief and relaxed laugh to pass her lips as she maneuvered her way past them and through the rest of the group.

That laugh of hers was an unfamiliar but not unwelcome sound. Though the Company would learn soon that it was not a sound she let everyone hear. It was a reserved thing, saved for when she could sleep deeply and not worry, or breathe heavily as she leaned into an affectionate embrace. It was a statement of trust that they would come to know.

Axell stood alone in the shadows for some time, enjoying the scene in the middle of camp much like most of the others. A scene that appeared to be only getting more active. Dwalin and Gloin joined in on the merriment and making any preexisting excitement magnify. The woman slunk over to Bilbo's side where he was conversing with Balin and Bofur, not attempting to join any conversation, but more so because it was the safest spot in the camp at the moment.

Fire licked at the sky and the rattling of the ground and the tangling of sounds flung Axell into a memory lapse. Not one strong enough to shake her. Just enough that she was no longer in the present moment. She could feel a cold wind against her face but could hear the presence of the Company.

It did not aid much in shaking her from her moment. Anyone else that could watch both scenes play before her would have thought her to be delusional.

_"Axell!"_

_The platinum blond called to her, his broken heart pouring from her eyes. _

_"You can't make her father! She can't go again!" His words were moisten and fevered with emotion. _

_"My son, she does not belong to you. Therefore, it is not your decision to make. I will do with her as I wish," the man's startling eyes landed upon her in a seething and disapproving manner._

_He waited until his boy had been pulled from the room, ignoring the calls from behind them that they both heard._

_"I raised her," the blond spat, anger dripping as he was forced from the scene, "not you."_

_"What have you done to deserve the affection of my son? Nothing. You aren't worth the dirt that you walk upon. You don't know how to love and you definitely shouldn't. Am I understood?" His robes rippled with worth and riches. _

_"Yes, my lord." The small brunette bowed her head in response, shielding the defiance she knew was stirring in her blue eyes._

_"When you return, you are not to converse or give attention to my son for six months. Am I understood?" He circled her, watching her movements, waiting for a sign that he had rubbed off on his most valuable asset. _

_"Yes, my lord." Her words were emotionless, cleared of a weakness._

_"Good."_

A boot was delivered to Axell, knocking her out of the haze she had been in. Fili looked down at her, head tilted to the side and a face that consisted of both weariness and concern was etched on his features. But it was his voice, dripping of his worry, that made his distrust sink into the final emotion he was feeling.

"Axell, I have been trying to catch your attention for the past few moments," his eyes scanned the girl's, searching for a lie as she responded to him.

"My apologies Fili, I must have been deeper in thought than I believed." The blue in her eyes were genuine and honestly apologetic, but it didn't take a genius to know that she was avoiding the truth.

"Nothing to apologize for," he shrugged, tossing something back to one of the others finishing his thought with her before turning back to the others, "I was merely a little worried about you."

If only he knew, maybe then they would all be worried.

Not like she would believe them if they did.


	13. Troll Trouble

_The Great East Road_

_"Gandalf, where are you going?"_

_"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense."_

_"And who's that?"_

_"Myself, Mr. Baggins." Gandalf grumbled loudly, continuing in a baritone most likely only heard by the ones around him. "I've had enough of dwarfs for one day."_

That had been earlier in the day, and Gandalf hasn't been seen since. Although, it didn't concern Axell in the least. Wizards do as they please, and she had a feeling from the start that he brought her along for when he vanished.

Which, considering where she currently was, probably not the best idea on his behalf.

Fili and Kili were tending to the ponies, and the rest of the Company had yet to make Axell feel open enough to talk with them about things that they haven't already talked about. Five times. Which, in turn, left the woman with no dire need to stick around. And the caved in farmhouse did not sit right with her. No building would have been half buried in the ground without a sign of rot, decay, or blackened wood. So, off the brunette wandered. Wandering with a purpose, but still wandering.

She had probably been gone for the better part of two - maybe three - hours and to say it was dark would have been an understatement. And she hadn't wandered far, but it was still a dangerous enough distance. Though, once she caught whiff of a foul odor, she would say that she had been gone for good reason. The smell drew her in to the bottom of the mountain, and her blue eyes devoured and shot through the sight. An occupied troll hoard, without it's live in guests.

Which could only mean one thing.

Well two things.

But there was a more likely option that she settled on.

A small dosage of fear ran through her blood, striking her hands and feet cold. Axell had left the Company without warning, for far too long. Each and every one of them could be dead by now. With that thought at the forefront of her mind, her legs rushed her back to camp before she consciously realized what she had been doing. The low underbrush smacked at her face, and the clothing that snagged screamed in displeasure. Upon stumbling upon a vacant camp, the woman scattered through the area, quickly drawing up a situation.

Items were strewn, food was left for cold. Most of the weapons were missing. To her dismay, the entire Company had vanished in what had appeared to be a panicked rush.

The woman bolted through the forest and crashed through ferns, prowling upon the trolls quite quickly. Seven dwarves were potentially tied, but there was no doubt in her that they were bagged. Six dwarves were on a spit. And a single hobbit had enough brains within his head to cause a distraction. The woman praised Bilbo's actions as she made her way through the scene. Whether his distraction was for the benefit of Axell or just hoping that he could distract them until the sun came up was not important enough for her to consider.

Her purpose, in that exact moment, was to free those she could. She slipped behind Thorin, who was positioned awkwardly, and attempted to hide herself beneath him as she sliced through the bag and bindings. She only caught brief parts of the conversation while she focused on her work.

"The secret is..." The bag was undone and the binding around his wrist's were half way through but she had to stop as Bilbo paused to think.

"Yes?" All Axell could do was be still and breathe silently, moving the knife just enough that she could cut through it while the conversation was taking place.

"The secret is..."

"Go on."

"Yes, I'm telling you...the secret is..." and Axell could feel herself getting annoyed at the time it took to come up with anything, "...tooo skin them first!"

Nevermind, he really shouldn't just come up with anything.

Axell let out a silent groan along with the rest of the dwarves, but his idea had stirred up enough sound that she could finish Thorin's wrists and move down to his ankles. However, she halted in horror at the stupidest troll's next statement.

"He's right. Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf, nice and crunchy." His slimy and grubby appendages picking Bombur out of the bagged group.

"No! Not that one! He's infected!" The troll gasped at Bilbo's statement, and Axell would have slapped Bilbo in pride for that quick thought. "He's got worms in his...tubes."

Just as Bombur was thrown down onto the pile of dwarves, Axell had freed Thorin successfully, cutting them free just in time for the woman to witness Thorin's boot to Kili's shoulder at the group's mob mentality of disagreeing. Though, it could be felt by Kili - and seen by the rest - that his kick was too clean to have been tied. Which got them all going in the other direction. The small amount huddled on the ground, and even a few stuck on the spit, had caught the look that had been given. Axell silently hushed a couple on the ground, alerting them that she was there, and working.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Oin stated in an unsure manner, and Axell slid down between the ground and him beginning to free him next.

"I've got the biggest parasites! I've got HUGE parasites!" The genuine fear in Kili's voice was more for his brother at the moment; the one who was silent on the spit.

Once again the trolls got angered and acted hastily, but the woman stopped her actions entirely when she heard the familiar voice echo above them.

"The dawn will take you all!" Then suddenly the cheerful rays if the sun were forced into the small area, and they all watched on in amazement as the trolls turned to stone.

Cheering was heard from every direction, and Axell rolled out from underneath Oin. Thorin hopped up, causing the bag and binds to fall. The few who hadn't known the woman was there, looked at him in astonishment. The King's hand were offered as a thank you to the woman, helping her get to her feet before asking more of her.

"There may be use for you yet." He smiled, pleased with how she had jumped into action diligently.

Despite the fact that her efforts were unneeded.

Axell hated to leave a job unfinished, and lent down to aid an ever growing impatient Oin. However, the same large had stopped her, and he caught her eye as he spoke.

"I think the others would probably want off that spit, wouldn't you agree?" He nodded in the direction of the other six that were beginning to groan in response.

A brief nod of understanding was given in response, and she was off, elegantly contorting herself up the spit and slicing the ropes in the safest way possible. Her eyes ravaged the ties, making sense of the mess. Hacking and chopping her way through it, rope by rope, the dwarves were raining from the spit. All of them may have been sore and grumpy after, but their gratitude was evident. From all but Dwalin. The blasted man was all mauled nerves and burnt emotions.

Once her job was finished, Axell's feet and hands moved according to the feel of the support stands and swinging to a hanging rope. Decades of training filtered through her mind in a muted manner. A couple of dwarves watched on in awe, some looked disgusted. She was a mutt if they ever saw one. Clearly not a dwarf in any of the trademark ways, with the exception of her thick skin and strong boned nature that the rest of them had. But even then, she was far too thin to be anything more than human in their eyes.

Axell didn't even notice them.

The only thing she heard was Thorin speaking with Gandalf.

"They couldn't not have moved in daylight." Gandalf stated, confusion etched onto his wrinkled face.

"There must be a cave nearby," Thorin thought aloud, as realization dawned on him.

This is the precise moment Axell spoke up.

"Yes, there is. I found it earlier," She stood firm and resolute, a serious tone to her stance.

"That's why you were gone," It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

She knew that he would be less than thrilled after the previous turn of events to know that their so called 'protector' had gone gallivanting through the forest. A nod followed his accusation and she awaited the brash attitude to rear it's head. It never did.

"I was wondering where you had gone off to, I thought it was a little late for you to be troublesome. I was also aware that you had already hunted part of the stew, since it was made for us just before we had to take a face of action." He thought to himself, soon looking in the expressive blue eyes before him. "Show me."

So she lead the way, following the direction that she had been wandering in before she stumbled on it, noticing now in the daylight the cues she had missed in the darkness. And as we neared closer, a couple of complaints were made at the scent that wafted from the hoard.

The Company had either gone into the troll hoard, or admired trinkets near the mouth. Axell, hung a little deeper in the forest. An uneasy feeling was beginning to rise from the pit of her stomach and into her fingers and down to her toes. Crawling up her spine in ways it shouldn't. It made her stand tall and mighty with alert. The hairs on her neck stood on alert as eyes laid upon her from behind. She relaxed only slightly when her eyes landed upon Kili, recognizing that he wasn't her enemy. Though, the large crash that resounded in the distance caused her to spring to life. Ready herself for a fight she knew was to come.


	14. Beginning of the Panic

_The East Road_

As it had turned out, the noise that Axell had been hearing was none other than Radagast the Brown. An odd fellow wizard, one Gandalf had spoken quite fondly of.

It was apparent that he had been left without spoke interaction to his own devices. Insects crawled over his earthen wardrobe, and there were foreign - questionable - substances clinging to his shoulders, elbows, and hat.

The two wizards wandered a short distance away from the rambunctious group of dwarves who had been ever-so-obviously attempting to eavesdrop.

Then again, dwarves just acted odd without much of a thought, but wizards were more secretive than most. Dwarves, in comparison to the distant demeanor of wizards, were clingy. Never leaving another behind, even if it means risking their lives. The kind takes care of their own; never letting another go hungry or abandoning them from the sight of the group for more than a handful of minutes. Which makes Axell stand out from the rest of them, considering the previous night.

It was very nearly amusing when most of the Company spoke within each other - with the exception of a few - as they stood in close proximity of another with hushed tones. Though a hushed tone for a dwarf is borderline yelling to any other creature.

Take now, for example. Bifur, Gloin, Bombur, and Ori, though they weren't alone, were more separated from the group. Bombur and Ori conversed among themselves a slight distance from the rest of the group, while Bifur and Gloin seemed to be taking watch.

The larger group of dwarves would glance over to their further companions, clearly keeping an eye on them and making sure that they were near.

Axell was content with watching their subconscious actions, from each dwarf, while perched on higher ground. Though anything that she may have been focused on was abruptly shattered when the familiarly skin-crawling sound of a howl pierced through the comfort. The entire Company froze in horror, senses on high alert became more unwavering than their stubborn nature.

The only member that appeared to feel more panicked and frantic rather than on the edge of fight or flight was poor little Bilbo.

"Was that a wolf? Are there wolves out there?" Bilbo stuttered frantically.

"Wolves?" Bofur responded almost subconsciously, seeing as how he was probably the closest to Bilbo in the company. "No, that was not a wolf-"

The trembling dwarf, as giddy as he can normally be, swung around with a gasp. As did the rest of the Company, when they heard their brother's sentence being cut off with a tremendous growl.

The beast was larger than any horse ever domesticated by man. It's fur soiled and ruined from its lifetime in the wild, all of the pack looking similar to the other. The teeth of the creature shone with hunger, the drool dripping from the animal to prove it. However, it was the eyes that was paralyzing, an anger so powerful and raw that it's prey froze in fear alone.

It stalked slowly towards the Company until all eyes were upon it before launching the the direction of Dori. Thorin chopped at the back of it's head with an unforgiving power and a gleaming sword in his large grasp, and Dori took the opportunity to dash out from under the monster.

Most of the men occupied themselves with a shaken Dori, another beast taking it's opportunity, leaping from the dense forest. The fresh smell of spilled blood causing a rise of angered noises to strike loudly as it rushed forward at an preoccupied Thorin, an determination radiating off the creature.

The whir of a fired arrow sliced through the air, landing deep within the shoulder of the animal, paralyzing the foreleg and forcing the large body to tumble down the hill. Dwalin did not hesitate to take the opportunity to throw an axe into the parasite's head, killing the creature instantly.

Axell moved with the two members that took of in the direction of the tied ponies, provided a long-distance fighter just to be safe.

"Warg Scouts!" Thorin exclaimed as he watch a couple of members bolt uphill. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind!"

Perched on the crest of the hill, Axell stood watch over each member of the Company. The woman heard the other members speaking but was not listening to them at the moment. Instead, she chose to focus on her surroundings. Listening, watching, waiting. For anything, anything that was drooling for death. She sensed when Bifur and Ori had run past her and towards the group, breathing heavily in a state of panic.

"We can't! We have no ponies! They bolted!" Everyone heard him say this, but most hadn't heard what he frantically muttered to Axell afterwords. "Except for your horse, he's untied but hasn't left."

With that realization at the forefront of her mind, she let out a shrill, quick, and overbearingly loud whistle. Any hope of being silent enough to pass under any attacker's radar was long gone anyway. The stallion came thundering over, nickering upon his arrival. Lowering her bow and quiver, she made quick work of the saddle and bridle, whispering to him as she did so. With a final command in a tongue foreign to the dwarves, Caspian disappeared into the day. Black satin fur blurring into the surrounding forest.

"Axell, come on!" Dwalin bellowed, taking up the rear for one of the first times since the journey begun.

The Company rushed through the trees and underbrush, weaving their way through in hopes to be hidden from any enemy eyes. Suddenly, the group came to a halt as the tree line kept them from continuing much further.

Blue eyes shut as the woman allowed her hearing to focus in on her surroundings. Radagast burst somewhere in the East, and the Wargs and Orcs leapt into action after him. A shove at her back shot her eyes open as they shot into action.

Hushed shouts ensured that everyone knew to go when they were told, and Axell followed suit with Dwalin's hardened hand on her back, directing her exactly where he needed her to go. However, the woman - especially in situations such as these ones - needed to be in control of herself. Once she was hidden behind the boulder, she bolted passed some of the other members, Dwalin hot on her heels with a temperamental grumble.

Though, she had reasons dictated by her past that ensured how she acted in this moment. Every nerve in her strung and alert, moving to their own accord.

Dwalin took his place at the front of the pack, Thorin calling for his presence. And the woman, ready to bound to the rear as everyone moved in unison, was dragged by two hands constricting around her upper arms. The Durin brothers pulling her along, both of their expressions remained collected but their grips claimed the opposite.

Weaving through, under, and behind boulders of various sizes, the girl and Company members obeyed silently but were aware of the enemies location. Axell could read that the older dwarves had been watching Gandalf with suspicion as he maneuvered them through the plains. But seeing as how most wanted to live until overmorrow, they fell into ranks behind the man. The only one to question him was Thorin.

Constant warnings fluttered through the Company's ears as everyone rushed forward with cautious eyes for the dangers lurking nearby. It was only a matter of time before one of them caught their scent.

Suddenly everything went still.

Everything silent.

The only existing noise was the pounding of hearts as breaths were held.

And the distinct clicking of claws on stone.

Overhead.

A snarl and the singing of a blade being drawn caused everyone to grip their weapons tighter.

And everyone looked to Thorin in waiting.

Thorin was giving a pointed gaze to the bow in Kili's hands. Then proceeded to give a similar one to Axell. The archers were be put to the test.

Blue eyes met brown, both calculating. Both communicating.

Axell raised a finger to point at her eye, and Kili made a face resembling that of a snarl. Both nodded to one another and the Company waited on in confusion and nervousness.

With a sudden dash, both swung around from their hiding spots, synchronizing their releases. Both beast and rider swung around too late. Kili's arrow driving into the creature with a _THUNK_ while Axell's sliced through the Orc. Both dropped dead, silence filling the air as the distant killers continued to move.

"Quick, let's move. The others will notice they're gone soon." Thorin rushed the group, shooting a quick smile and nod at his archers.

And the rush began again, hustling after the wizard. But the silent movements didn't get passed them for long. The Wargs got ever-so-slightly too close and the Company was just a little too loud.

It couldn't have been avoided.

Shouts poured into Axell's ears, everything a slurred mixture of English, Khuzdul, and Black Speech.

The woman slipped to the rear of the group while everyone had been occupied running. Bodies spilled into a clearing, everyone at a frantic high, shouting at one another almost unintelligibly.

""There's more coming!" Fili swung around, making sure to know his brother's place among the crowd.

"Kili! Axell! Shoot them!" Thorin's bellow rang clear.

And the girl didn't need to be asked twice, ripping arrow after arrow from her quiver to drop the number of incoming assailants.

"We're surrounded!" Fili alerted the group, causing the archers' shots to become more agitated.

Axell was zeroed in on her targets, focusing on the next as she fired from her bow into an unwitting enemy. She could hear Bilbo's mixed emotions in his strained voice, could feel the number of eyes on her back, but was more concentrated on the threats that lay ahead of her. The wind caressed her hair against her cheek, and wisped the grass against her shins, beckoning her to be calm. But the splatter of red that flew from the Orc's head in front of her boiled her skin and beckoned her elsewhere.

"Where is Gandalf?!" Gloin was swinging around his weapon in both a fit of rage and a motion of preparation.

"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin spat in answer.

A howl cut through their complaints as the group began rushing in.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin boomed at a volume so intense that it was almost not understandable.

_Kill. Protect. Kill. Protect. _A mantra to the motions that Axell was performing.

The only voice that broke the pattern was the honeyed sound of both reassurance and urgency belonging to the wizard.

"This way you fools!"

"Come on, move!" Thorin encouraged.

Axell could feel movement behind her more than she could hear it.

"Quickly, all of you." Thorin's tone gain speed, as if it would speed up the group. "Go. Go! GO!"

Axell hadn't bothered slowing until only the other archer remained.

"Kili! Run!" Thorin shout, obviously wanting his nephew safe first.

"Axell! Hurry!" Thorin sounded agitated, however at the moment, it was easily understood.

Thorin waited to follow the rest of the group until after Axell slid down the opening. The woman glanced around at every member, inspecting each for injuries, instinct present over actual concern. All seemed well.

A horn sounded in the distance and the dwarves strained their bodies in preparation.

Screeching, crashing, squealing, shouting. Thought it sounded like two opposing forces rather than one oncoming force. Everyone listened on in tense curiosity until a dead Orc rolled into the cavern's opening. Axell had known it had been dead judging by the graceless entrance it had entered with. After it finished it's path, the arrow was noticed immediately. Thorin wrenched the tool from the hollow, fleshy carcass.

"Elves." He spat, throwing down the blacken, bloody weapon in disgust.

He glanced between Gandalf and the few around him, a scowl eminent on his features. Dwalin's voice rang throughout the small area.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads, do we follow it or no?" His words tumbled, seemingly effortlessly.

"Follow it of course." Bofur rushed, speeding along the path.

The others followed, hot in pursuit. None willing to take the chance, each unwilling to face the demons again. Not that Axell blamed them.

"I think that would be wise." Gandalf agreed, a knowing tone in his words.

Axell examined him, taking a sideways glance before following a few others in maneuvering through the stone faces. She claimed her place as second to the rear, prepared to be the guard of the group if needed.

She was beginning to find a spot that she could claim as her job.


	15. Welcome to Rivendell

_Rivendell_

The dwarves were on high alert the moment that the white robed elf spoke Gandalf's name in Sindarin. However, considering current circumstances, the tense actions of the dwarves could be understood. There's a key to situations like these that Axell has come to live by; act like you trust them, watch them like you don't. And after the utterance of the name _Mithrandir_, the girl stood at attention to both the Company and to the one greeting them. Gandalf conversed with the man, only after they began speaking in English did the dwarves finally tune in.

"My Lord Elrond is not here." His words were cool as he eyed the dwarves but still remained friendly.

"Not here? Where is he?" Gandalf was slightly suspicious but overall trusting.

And he remained suspicious until the horn sounded, signaling his return. Gandalf smiled to himself at the sound, Lindir looked nervous. Though, he had good reason to be - with thirteen dwarves and a hobbit in their midst.

Expecting an attack, the dwarves swallowed up the hobbit into their center, forming a protective circle.

Axell rolled her eyes and settled in next to Gandalf as she watched on, listening to the hollers and shouts as Elrond worked them up.

"Gandalf!" Elrond looked amused to see him.

"Lord Elrond." Gandalf greeted politely, continuing in Sindarin much to the Company's dismay. "_My friend. Where have you been?_"

"_We've been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass._" Elrond leapt off the horse, embracing Gandalf, "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near."

"Ah, that may have been us." As Gandalf spoke, Thorin made his way to the front.

Elrond looked on, and Axell could tell he knew immediately how to piss him off. No matter how well one may think they know the Lord, he will always take an opportunity when he sees it.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thraín." Elrond informed, agitating Thorin and his mighty short patience.

"I do not believe we have met." Thorin attempted to hold his tongue, attempted to be polite.

"You have your grandfather's barrings. I knew Thrór when he reigned under the mountain." Elrond prodded.

"Indeed. He made no mention of you." He snapped, no longer trying to be mannerly.

Elrond began to speak in Sindarin to the Company, annoying and angering each one; aside from Bilbo. Axell turned to the greeter, trying to contain laughter. Although, upon seeing his expression, she let it out. A muffled noise, but it encouraged him to do the same. They both struggled against it and fought to hide it, but the Elf Lord noticed.

It was that moment in which Gandalf recognized the familiarity the woman had with these elves. They were no strangers.

"What is he saying? Does he offers us insults or no?" A very defensive Gloin blurted.

"No, master Gloin, he's offering you food." Gandalf translated.

Both the dwarven girl and her friend noticed the prideful and cocky smirk on the Head Elf's face, and looked away from him and avoided one another to contain their small outbursts. The dwarves were quick to come to a decision.

"Well, in that case. Lead on." Gloin replied for the group.

"I will lead you to a room, where you will be able to clean up before dinner." Elrond announced, turning to the man in white soon after. "_Lindir, you remember where Húreth's room is. Accompany her, be sure that she has everything necessary._"

Lindir floated up the stairs, Axell quick in tow. The both of them hurrying along to let their laughter out together. But it was the nickname she had previously grown accustomed to that had her halting to the words coming from Elrond.

"Húreth." He watched her observant blue eyes carefully. "_Be sure that you wear something appropriate for dinner, please._"

"_I will try, but I make no promises._" She winked following close behind Lindir.

Walking along the halls lined with intricate designs felt like a familiar greeting to her. The delicate carven wood ushering her forward after the billowing white robe before her. She followed along until Lindir had arrived at the door she once called her own.

Nodding in appreciation, the brunette entered the room. While filling the bath, she reflected on how the past few weeks have turned out for her. And when exactly she realized that she got roped into a lesser thrilling adventure than she had expected.

Dipping into the bath, she allowed her muscles to relish in the clean water, knowing that this would be a luxury she would not receive again for many months.

In her opinion, it felt nice to be clean again. She looked into the large oak wardrobe and as her eyes passed over the icy blue gown that taunted her, they landed on the remainder of her clothing. The ones she planned on packing. Ones that she was far more comfortable wearing than the flimsy elvish _thing_ that Lord Elrond insisted she wore.

But seeing as how it was his house, she didn't have much of an option but to wear it.

Slipping into the flowing dress, she secured and double checked that it was on properly before walking out and towards the dining hall. The air that fanned across her bare shoulders tickled, and the sleeves were open around her forearms. Both leaving the faint scars she preferred hidden visible. But only if one looked closely enough.

As she closed in on the room, she tiptoed up to the a dining table, and was very aware of the eyes that followed her. And while she wasn't comfortable with the attention, she was also aware that she had pleased the head Elf. And that was enough.

She took her place at a smaller table - one she had only seen come out for certain guests - taking her place alongside Nori, Dori, Ori, Balin, Bilbo, and Fili. The other dwarfs sat at another table, while Thorin, Gandalf, and Elrond sat a separate one. Eating her dinner with little complaints and conversation, she was nearly startled when Bilbo addressed her.

Nearly.

"You should wear blue more often," his voice carried softly.

Axell tilted her head, her brown waves falling to one side slightly, "why's that?"

"They make your eyes seem even more blue than usual."

And with that the hobbit kept making his way through his meal, probably overly hunger with his harsh meal adjustment. Once the woman cleared her plate, she began conversing with Bilbo and Fili. However, with a quick glance up, Axell noticed the looks she was receiving from Kili. She wasn't a woman to be self-conscious. But with the very thin fabric of the dress she was wearing, it wasn't an impossible task. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, the girl looked down to cover the tint of colour on her face and proceeded to focus on Bilbo. Fili took quick notice of this and made a sharp turn to make eye contact with his sibling. Who, upon realization that he had been caught, turned into a flushed hue. With a smirk, Fili turned back around, prepared to harass Axell when a boiled egg shot into the back of his head. And before he could begin hollering to learn who his attacker had been, Bofur leaped onto the table singing.

Axell allowed a chuckle to fall from her lips, only to receive a look of disdain from Elrond. Instead of acknowledging him, she dipped her fingers into the cottage cheese that sat untouched before her.

"What are you doing?" Fili leaned forward, pulling egg from his hair while eyeing the woman up suspiciously.

"You'll see," Axell responded, raising up from her seat.

Waltzing up to the head table, Axell cupped her hands behind her. An action that was common among the elves. She began to begin a discussion with Elrond, appearing to duck behind his chair and appearing to grab the backrest of his chair. Only before the Elf Lord could question her actions, she began smearing the cottage cheese along the left side of his face. She quickly slid around his chair and began backing away from the man.

One table behind her howled and hollered and the other remained dead silent until they began to do the same. Axell was waiting for his move, and watched carefully as the Elf picked up his glass and swirled around the red liquid.

"Lindir," he summoned, "I believe I require some more wine."

Axell managed to duck just in time for the liquid to spray on the ground behind her, and she gathered up the bottom of her dress to rush back to her own table. She grabbed a hold of an egg and tossed it haphazardly in his direction. Elrond was hardly able to dodge it but had with an almost effortless move, and he threw back one of his own in retaliation. And before long the entire Company had joined in on the fun. The dinning area was a battlefield and the elves had run long ago with their instruments.

In the end, the Company had lost; aside from Gandalf who merely just supplied the others with ammunition. But seeing as how the Elves had an endless supply of whatever Elrond had called for, the dwarves stood no chance.

Laughter was heavy in the air, and it was a beautiful thing to hear after the nights filled with Orc screams and Warg howls. As Axell sauntered passed Elrond, he roughed her hair gently, earning a couple of giggles from a few of the surrounding Elves. It seemed like a number of them were going to need a second bath.

After bathing, Axell had changed into more comfortable clothing. Opting for a dark blue loose shirt and a pair of black trousers. She nearly tore the dress in attempts to remove it earlier, and was not about to put another one back on. Elrond would get an earful from her first.

When she had found the rest of the group it appeared that they had been waiting for her arrival. Seeing as how the moment she walked in they bombarded her with questions. But with a raise of her hand and an unimpressed look, she managed to silent them. Of course, it was Thorin to first disregard her and ask again.

"How do you know how to speak Elvish?" Crossing his arms as he glared in her direction.

He was the only one standing and it was clearly to intimidate her, so she refused to sit until he had calmed.

"It's called Sindarin, and many people in Middle-Earth speak it. Elves just use it more, seeing as how it is their native language." Axell eyed him, raising a brow at the man.

"I did not ask _why, _I asked_ how! _How do you know how to speak it?!" He corrected.

She was not willing to give up the information he wanted so easily. It was not his time to know yet and she wasn't about to let him rip it out of her. The woman was a fire with skin, and she wanted to be acknowledged as such.

"I had to learn the first time I met Elrond, or rather, his healers. Seeing as how Lindir is his only servant who can speak English."

And that answer was enough for Thorin. Along with most of the elders in the group. But only served to concern the younger few.

"Why did you have to speak with the healers?" Fili pushed.

"I was injured."

"Well, yes, we figured that. But what caused you to need an elvish healer?" Kili prodded.

"I accidentally crossed the same paths as an Orc Pack, resulting in some minor injuries. Although, I must have had a major injury of some kind because I couldn't move for days. I may have been stuck there if it weren't for Elrond passing by the area. He and some of his best fighters had been out on a hunt for that very group, so it was a relief when he found me. It was a day later, mind you, but I was still grateful." Axell was polite in return to the genuine concern, giving Thorin a pointed look.

He rolled his eyes in response, but wasn't about tell her that he got the message.

"So you were here for quite some time, I could imagine?" Bilbo wondered.

"Yes, nearly a year. But I cannot remember why it was for so long." She rubbed the back of her head in genuine confusion. "It was not a head injury, nor did I come close to death..."

The woman sat down, blending in with the rest of the group as they became disinterested or had their answers in what she had already said. She could not remember what had kept her for so long, or what had drove her away. But she was startled from her thoughts when Bombur landed on the ground with a resounding clatter. Most of the dwarfs whooped and hollered in enjoyment while others merely chuckled in surprise.

"Axell," Kili called out in a mixture of concern and amusement, "come on over, you look cold."

And that is when she notice the slight tremor in her body as she leaned against the handrail, the wind and the dampness of her hair working against her. As she raised to her feet, the dwarf raised his right arm onto the object he leaned against, his left hand occupied with his pipe. Slipping against his side, she felt the warmth radiating from him and curled her knees into her chest. Before long, the warmth and the feeling of comfort had her dozing off. Just until she made it back to the room.

* * *

Mithrandir: grey wanderer  
Húreth: fiery spirit


	16. Time To Go

_Rivendell_

It was the Company's last few hours in Rivendell and the sun was not prepared to raise much like some of the other dwarves. But it would appear soon.

Colours of twilight and dawn mixed to greet the early-risers. Stars shone above in the still dark sky, the moon faded but still present amongst them. Blue overhead trickled into a faint purple, dying the sparse clouds a vibrant array of colours. And the sun could be seen dismissing the night, peeking over the mountain dips in the distance with a soft yellow call to the wilds near it.

It was a sight that never ceased to take the woman's breath away. And she doubted that she would find anything to rival it. Leaning against the banner, she relished in the feeling of the early summer morning; when everything was at it's coolest and the heat could still be felt, the time where life became gentle and love became giddy. In her opinion, the summer morning was the most romantic of feelings.

A couple of silent groans became apparent behind her from where Thorin had the Company rising.

Axell never did make it to her room, instead sleeping the night away using the youngest of the Durin line as a cushion. Though out of habit she had awoken before Thorin and his constant state of displeasure.

With a few silent hushes, the dwarves went about their plans, and lone female ruffed the hobbits hair as she passed by. Coming to a quick agreement with Thorin, she moved along to prepare herself.

Axell silently toed about, weaving her ways through the magnificent hallways, trying to go about unseen as she gathered some supplies, knowing that while Elrond might not want her to leave but if she did he would much rather her be prepared. The silence of the halls surrounding her had a comforting affect. Peace could be found echoing through the tall ceilings. Both the real wonder is in whether it was because of the elves or because of the early morning. Relief flooded her when she managed to sneak about without Elrond appearing, which he has done to her in the past.

Opening the giant wardrobe, she began to place changes of garments into her bag. However, the items she truly wanted were going to be worn, especially since they took up too much space in her bag. She stripped from the older clothing she had chosen for the night. A newer pair of black trousers replaced her old and worn out ones. While a simple green shirt was shucked on over her head along with a few extra layers. The leather boots she chose - while they looked like the simple brown boots the dwarves chose to wear - had hidden pockets in them for her spear-point daggers.

A bird chirped loudly outside of her window in warning of the oncoming of morning. Movement could be heard outside her door in tandem with the animals that relished in the dawn.

Moving on, she began to hurriedly grab her other necessities. One of her more favourited items was the brown leather sleeve armour, which had some markings from previous battles but still remained in good shape. It came up high on her neck to guard it from ruthless enemies - and held a deep score from a knife to prove it - and buckled around the right side of her throat. It came down to cover her right shoulder and buckled to an arm guard. A matching vambrace wrapped around her forearm but was unique in the fact that it had an archer glove effect, covering the index and middle fingers that released the drawstring.

Her door rattled and she turned to glare at it as she pulled on the black left arm vambrace, which also had a hidden pocket and shielded her flat needle-point daggers.

And the final item she grabbed looked new. It hadn't been with the rest of her clothing yesterday and was laid at the bottom of the wardrobe carefully. Upon further inspection of the black leather, she came to the conclusion that it was a waist bag that strapped to her thigh. The design was simple and wouldn't be given a second thought against the black trousers she seemed to prefer. And although it was free of any stitching where it could be seen - unlike the rest of the elvish items - it had a small design of the Sword of Elendil on the back. With a slight smirk, she wrapped one of the straps around her waist and the other around her left thigh.

Satisfied with what she had gathered, Axell began concealing her weapons. It had been enough to adequately supply a small army, but still came nowhere near the amount found on Fili.

With a quick once over of her belongings, she returned to her bed where she had placed her twin leaf-blade swords. After making sure that she could remove her quiver without it hooking on any of her effects, Axell proceeded to finalize her equipment. Grabbing the dual swords she placed them in their sheaths and grabbed the loose leather strips and hustled out the door with her belongings.

As she exited the building and weaved through shortcuts, the woman wrapped the thin pieces of leather around the looser pieces of clothing to keep them a little more watertight and as weather resistant as possible.

Her eyes landed upon the overly loud group of dwarves and suddenly the voice of Elrond, which caused her to slow her pace.

_Be safe, the edge of the wild can be unpredictable. As you already know. Remember as you pass through the Mountains, caves are never unoccupied. Good luck, and safe travels._

Axell shook her head in amazement, knowing she would never fully understand elves.

The woman received a couple of glances and got a couple of hums in appreciation, while some others just looked on in curiosity. Just as Axell was about to ask where Nori and Bifur had gone off to, they returned, Nori rambling about this place having no exits. The brunette made a reassuring comment and proceeded to take the lead, giving a quick once over in the direction of the city. When she was sure they were not being watched, she led the Company throughout many secluded paths and areas, successfully exiting the premises.

With everybody gathered, they slipped away from the entrances of the Great Elf City. Wandering into trails leading to the Wild's Edge.

Once everyone was a safe distance from the elves did they begin making noise and loosening up again. Kili and Fili rushed to Axell's side from what appeared from nowhere and began to eye up the trinkets they had yet to see.

"Well, well," Fili purred pulling at the buckle connecting the shoulder to the upper arm guard and sliding around to her left side, "this looks nifty."

"Yes," Kili acknowledge, lifting up the vambrace with the archer's fingers, his fingers fiddling over them, "looks like she's ready for a fight."

Axell rolled her eyes at them and reached up to unbuckle the top two out of the three straps that covered her neck. Allowing her a little more room to move.

"Either make fun or admire," she looked between them while pointing at them, "none of this in between taunting."

Fili cupped the back of her hand, rotating her arm in his grasp to admire the stitching that held the piece together. His blue eyes wandered over the contraption that sat over her neck. With a squint, he reached up with a curled index finger to tilt her head higher in order to stare at it in curiosity.

Kili just walked alongside her, admiring her, during the period of preoccupation.

And while Fili was engrossed in the intricacy of the armour, it did not go unnoticed by him.


	17. Bruised But Not Broken

_Middle of Nowhere_

Boredom was conceived in the middle of nowhere. That much Axell was sure of.

The fire crackled in their midst as the dark sky was starless and daunting; a testament to the oncoming trails ahead of them all. Silence making skin crawl; a daunting noise hanging over the group as unasked questions lie between them.

"Truth or dare?" Bible's brave, little voice carried over them all.

"Brilliant," Axell praised, her face illuminated by the little light the flames had to offer, "you first."

"Truth," the smile could be felt in his voice as the woman took the bait.

"What do you believe will be the most likely way that you'll die?" She grinned, tilting her head backwards from where she lay to see the small creature.

"I'll probably get eaten by a dragon, if I don't get killed by a pack of Orcs first." The company chuckled at his response. "Bofur, truth or dare?"

"Dare?" Bofur hesitated both unsure of the game and how Bilbo could find anything that would be difficult enough.

" I dare you to peel and eat the banana-" Bilbo started, gesturing at the nearest fruit, unable to think of much else.

"Easy!" Bofur stated, tossing the banana into the air only for it to fumble back into his grasp.

"I wasn't finished." Bilbo corrected, watching Bofur's face. "You have to do it, without using your hands."

The company laughed at Bofur's displeased expression, and he mumbled to himself all the while. He settled the fruit between his knees while sitting on his hands, yelling at another member.

"Fili!" Bofur challenged. "Truth or Dare?!"

"Dare!" The young Durin caught on quickly.

"I dare you," Bofur mumbled, teeth busy with the yellow peel, "to attempt to make Axell grimace in disgust."

Axell thoughts jolted briefly at the possibilities that could mean. Words like those grew a life of their own. However, she had faced much worse than the likes of Fili.

"My limitations?" The blond inquired.

"None." Bofur muffled as he struggled with his own dare.

Fili's braids swayed and twirled when he grinned on mischievously. Axell wasn't about to lie, she was nervous, but painful curiosity claimed her first. Giving him a grin back that clearly said _bring it on_, he did exactly that, or tried to. Stalking closer to the girl, she felt the eyes of every single other dwarf on her and could feel horror radiating from Bilbo. As Fili closed in, he was practically crawling into her lap. And with a final lean that was awkwardly close, he proceeded to speak to the group.

"Nori?" He grinned.

"Truth," Nori gave the young blond a cocky expression.

Fili pulled Axell closer to him, forcing her to sit up and almost against his chest.

"What was the last thing you stole?"

"A pair of diamond earrings from Rivendell." Nori exclaimed with pride, holding out one of the glittering accessories that he pulled from seemingly nowhere. "Axell."

"Is there any other option aside from dare?" She asked in turn, giving Nori a wink as Fili whispered odd and meaningless but horrifyingly uncomfortable things into her ear.

"I wanna see if you can make Fili uncomfortable before he can make you uncomfortable." Nori crossed his arms, watching on.

"Done," her oceanic blue eyes turned to her target, zeroing in on him in a way that made Nori feel a little sympathetic.

Reaching forward, Axell caught Fili's ear and twisted him in order to have his ear meet parallel to her lips.

"You see," Axell blew on his ear with warm breath that made him want to crawl out of her hold, "I could say things like you were. Like 'I will pee in your nasal cavity' or something similar. But I have a feeling that a whole 'nother topic altogether will make you squirm. There are many thing that I could do to you. But there is so much more that I could do to your brother."

In a response to fear, Fili's eyes go cold; distant. And in the background, Axell could hear the game go on as Bofur stabbed himself in the eye before finally getting the peel open.

"You see, you're brother is a man that I find particularly handsome. And he has a quick witted tongue that could be put to good use...real good use. I often find myself wondering just what it is he's hiding beneath those layers. How thrilling it is to wonder, but I can get a thrill out of just imagining it."

Axell pulled back to look at his face, grabbing his chin and forcefully moving his head around to get him to open his eyes to look at her. He radiated discomfort and everyone could see it.

Suddenly the crew got louder.

"Kili," one of the younger dwarves called out, "are you in?"

"Dare," the troublemaker pridefully challenged.

"Join your brother in his dare, because he looks like he needs some help."

The young dwarf had a mischievous gleam in his brown eyes as he moved toward the two. Fili glanced up only to groan and cover his eyes.

"Dwalin, truth or dare?"

The game continued on in the background for some time. All the while, Fili and Kili were poking and prodding at Axell. Even whispering some of their most skin crawling ideas to her. When they say 'skin made of steel' the boys knew exactly who they were talking about.

In frustration, Kili placed his hand on the woman's lower thigh abruptly feeling her tense beneath his hand. He paid a quick glance to his brother - who occupied hollering at someone else's antics - then a sweep over the rest of the group. Upon realizing that the three of them had been left to their own devices, the man shifted his weight in a way that let him sit beside her but blocked sight of her leg with his own.

With a shake of his shoulders, he leaned in close to Axell's ear giving a smooth purr as he slide his hand up her thigh. Sealing the deal with a quick flick of the tongue behind her ear.

The sudden change from him had Axell leaping out from underneath him before she could gain her composure. Most of the Company hollered in amusement, Fili in shock and Kili in pride. Axell gave Kili a playful but sour look as she settled in next to Bilbo.

"Brother, how did you do it?" Fili marveled.

"Like this," Kili leaned forward, sliding his tongue from his brother's jaw to forehead.

His action started a war of its own, and the Company was dying of laughter. Tears running out of a few of their eyes, while others clutched their stomachs.

"Alright," Thorin called out, calming the group as if he had dumped ice water over everyone, "that's enough."

Axell, just to spite the man, changed directions.

"Yeah, now it's truth or truth," she nudged Bilbo as he chuckled at her.

"A little inappropriate with a lady present," he muttered.

"Bilbo!" She acted mortified, "I would never, I was implying swapping stories that people don't normally voice not sexual encounters."

Axell tsked him as the dwarves grew rowdy and someone smacked him hard enough to be forced forward. He gave her an unimpressed look and she gave him a sly smile in return.

"Then you can feel free to start," Thorin cut through, giving the woman a raised eyebrow that said the opposite his tense tone did.

"Alright," she removed her boots and grabbed the hem of her left pant leg.

The younger dwarves leaned in with curiosity, while the older ones waited patiently as she raised the article to her knee. A winding scar vined around her ankle and calf in a jagged motion, it's discolouration being the only clue that it existed.

"Got into an altercation with an unfriendly cliff face. Happened to get stuck and there wasn't a quick way out without it getting a little bloody"

Bilbo rubbed a couple fingers across it briefly to feel whether or not it was raised, surprised when the skin felt just as the rest did.

"How old is it?"

"About eight months," she rolled her trousers back down, "still has some time to fade."

Bilbo pulled his sleeve up in turn, rotating it in a way that showcased a clearly deep but still somewhat small scar.

"I was a wee thing when I got this," he nodded at it as Axell tilted his arm toward the firelight, "fell on top of a scythe. Bloody thing hurt like something fierce. Definitely didn't do it again. But I shouldn't have been out in the fields to begin with."

Slowly, one by one, the dwarves began to tell stories of some of their own scars. Each story slowly gaining a weight. Until even Thorin shared the sight of one of his scars.

"This one," Thorin raised his right sleeve to reveal his wrist where two wide-set scars sat parallel and jagged and angered to one another, "is when Azog used his mace to disarm me of my sword."

After a few moments of silence pass, Thorin spoke up again.

"And you?" Axell looked up to meet his eyes, internally startled. "One of your 'most lethal scars'?"

"Isn't that her business, Uncle?" Fili whispered, trying to figure out why he was asking.

With a nod in acknowledgement, Axell rubbed her knuckles just the right of her left breast - an action Thorin took notice of - and raised the hem of her shirt that covered her left side. A set of evenly spaced puncture marks sat, deep and gruesome, in an a semicircle formation. Warm, large fingers traced over them and moved around to her back to find a nearly identical matching set. With a hand on either side of her body, he placed his fingers of what he could and slid his hands back towards himself. All of the dwarves noticed how his fingers met together when his hands met.

"They look like teeth marks," Fili thought aloud looking at Kili, his calloused fingers following over the raised portions.

"What was it?" Dwalin asked, peering at her side from the other side of the fire.

"A Warg?" Thorin asked in answer.

"Yes, but it was still fairly young, so I was more like a threw toy than first meal." The brunette woman's eyes were filled with fear at the memory, but the only thing the Company could recognize was the joke that covered it.

"And this," she dropped the shirt, moving over to the other side to raise it instead, "was from my 'rescuer'. What great aim he had."

A puckered circle sat just under her right ribs, following through to the other side.

"This is an arrow," Kili wasn't asking, he knew after years of hunting, the telltale sign.

"Not too bad lass," Dwalin started getting comfortable, settling in to sleep.

And that was that. The dwarves had seen the brown line running from her shoulder to her mid-chest that carried over her collarbone. Even some of the whitened discolouration that lay on the surface of her arms were taken notice of. Her cheekbone had a sweep of a raise that was nearly invisible to the eye.

Axell briefly wondered if the purpose of this, 'showing' per say, was meant to let her feel a little exposed and a little delicate. Allowing her to be aware of the others and their responses to her. Letting her be in control of the situation while still being vulnerable.

Then it made sense to her. Everything clicked into place. The jigsaw could be solved and the puzzle pieces made an image. Thorin Oakenshield, by using her own methods against her, just played her like the cheap kazoo she was. He allowed her to feel like she could control the situation while simultaneously making her be vulnerable because he allowed her to believe it was her own idea. It was why he was the leader.

He not only earned her respect in that moment, but also her obedience in the future.

When Axell came to from her thoughts with a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth, most of the Company had drifted off to sleep. It was the rightful king that choose to remain awake.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," his smirk was framed by dark hanging braids that made his look more lethal than the soft hue the daylight normally gave him, "you get caught up in your own thoughts often, don't you?"

A quiet chuckle came from the girl's unopened mouth as she shrugged, making eye contact in attempt to make clear what she knew herself but couldn't explain.

"I lose time, yes. But there is a clarity that I get that most people can't find when it happens." Thorin hummed at her response, clearly understanding exactly what she meant.

The two sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the peace. A howl-less, growl-less, fight-less night that allowed for relaxation.

Axell shifted to make room to stretch her knees that had begun to pinch in slight protest at their position. Reaching up, she began rotating her knuckles against her chest just as she had earlier, and mentally mapped the path ahead of them.

"Do you realize that you do that?" Thorin spoke rather loudly over the group of non-snoring dwarves.

The brunette's brows furrowed in response, her blue eyes squinting in tandem and her fingers remained pressed against her chest but still. With a nod down at the appendage, Axell followed his gaze and pulled her hand away flexing her fingers. Stuttering a couple of syllables caused Thorin to wonder if he should have mentioned it at all.

"Uhm, yes. I...I suppose - I suppose that I do. " She cleared her throat and brought her fingers up again to slip beneath her shirt and trail over the raised and bumpy skin that sat there, pausing once she realized that Thorin was tracking the movement.

"Scars fade," he began, "and sometimes memories do too.

Other times...at other times, not so much."

Thorin pushed his hair through Fili's hair, saying more to Axell than needed but appreciated the explanation all the same.

"He looks so much like his father," he pushed some of his hair away from his face, "it is a more painful memory for my sister, Dis. But it hurts all the same."

He looked to her in expectation.

And she hated it.

Pulling down to the side what she could, she showcased the one scar that nobody but herself had seen. Give and take.

"The memory of this does not fade," she dropped her head, the weight of her braid tilting it slightly, "in fact, with each day that travels more East, it gets a little heavier."

"Rightfully so," Thorin examined it as well as he could with both the firelight and the distance that lie between them, "it looks like a scar that was meant to be felt."

"I'm not entirely sure that it was meant for me to feel so broken," Axell nodded, understanding what he was trying to say, "but felt, yes."

Thorin leaned forwards, grasping her wrist as well as he could.

"No, not broken. Just a little bruised."


	18. Playful Ambush

_Through the Wild's Edge_

Over the past three weeks of travelling from leaving Rivendell, most of the Company had been deeply nerving one another. Fights were caused about the pettiest things, trinkets, or even memories. Axell would be the first to admit that she had both been in and started a few arguments herself. However, more often than not she happened to be drug in by others or attempted to split up a few fights that had began to get hostile. All of the Company had been exposed to each other's anger and annoyance. Though it is expected when travelling in group for long periods of time. It's why vulnerability holds such a meaning in these situations. So it hadn't surprised anyone. But like all of the other phases, this one would pass too. It was only a matter of when.

Today, in comparison, has been one of the rougher days in Axell's opinion. Every single group of siblings had managed to fight with one another with such an anger that the entire Company had fallen silent. The rain that had fallen earlier created a steam effect on each dwarf's shoulders, suiting their moods. Axell did not have the energy to do anything today but follow them and try to ignore impending feeling in the pit of her stomach. Instead, she hung at the back a ways, Bilbo at her side relishing in the awkward silence she offered. He was grateful for that much from her, and their present anchored each other with the peace that hid in the shadows.

An unusual movement disturbed the mantra of tense peace. Kili trailed to a stop, his mind stuck on repeat because of the words his brother had said to him. Sure, they've fought, but this time their argument had a venom laced in it. Daring to look ahead, Axell's eyes landed on Kili; his head lolled forward with emotionally furrowed brows and a distant gaze upon his handsome face. The group passed him by with a grumble but otherwise unwilling to stop. Bilbo shuffled ahead a short distance, stopping to wait for Axell and watching her actions in slight fear.

Raising her softly calloused hands, she settled one on his shoulder. Slender fingers grazed over his thick jacket. The slow and graceful movements caught his attention but his thought ran deep enough that he paid no mind to it. Her other hand made it's way to his chin when she noticed that he refused to give her the attention she wanted. Soft skin raised his eyes to her own, this movement contrasting that of any of the men's which was what initially caught his focus. It was the gentleness she had for his state that kept his eyes glued to her own; her heart treading carefully. Her eyes were not as fierce as the other dwarves, they were calm and almost sorrowful. The ocean hue appeared to be warm in contrast to Fili's frosty hues, the storm in Kili's leather coloured ones calming. Kili gave her a gentle, thankful smile and her eyes glowed in return and she slid her hand to stroke his cheek. With the faint happiness that he had found in the action, he raised his hand to cup her own and leaned into her grasp. Her touch soothed him, sparking some joy back into him. Reaching forward and grasping the back of her head in his large hands, pulling her forehead closer as he leaned down to press his against her own in an affectionate gesture for dwarves.

It was an interaction that had Bilbo blushing and taking slow steps forward.

After placing a quick kiss to her forehead that said _thank you_, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to follow Bilbo. A smile fell on his face at her brief expression of confusion. Bilbo looked back to receive a flash of a smile from Kili and a tension released from his shoulders. The hobbit slowed enough to allow Axell and Kili to catch up to him, which, in turn, caused Kili to throw his free arm around him and pull him close enough to ruffle his hair. If Kili had allowed himself a moment, he would have admitted that these two were the bonds holding the dysfunctional crew together.

Relief flooded the three, smiles stretching across their faces. Their joy rivaled each others, walking in step, attempting to keep their smirks and chuckles limited to themselves. Although, by the time they had released all their pent up energy, the Company had relaxed enough to not care.

An arm snaked around Axell's waist, trying to pull her from Kili. In response, her attention shot to the owner, landing on Fili. His eyes fought with her own until she finally allowed him passage. Speeding ahead with a nod at Bilbo to follow in suit.

Axell conversed with the respectable little hobbit who's innocent stories she had come to love. It didn't take long for both brothers to tackle the two, forcing them both to the ground. The four losing themselves to fits of laughter and playful wrestling. It caught the Company's attention like a hound on a blood trail, dragging their eyes to the source. Most chuckle at their playful actions but a few grumbled. Upon noticing the Company's eyes, they leapt up and brushed off the dirt they could.

After walking for the better of another hour, Fili and Kili getting antsy and Axell and Bilbo conversing loudly. Axell listening to the joyful chatter of the Company. With a huff, Axell closed her eyes and tilted her head up to enjoy some of the hottest rays of the sun when she felt she felt the gentle tap of two bodies on either side of her small figure.

"Axell," Fili eyed her in a way that made her feel dangerous, "remember our invitation to join us in 'activities'?"

"What do you have in mind?" Her lips curled in a troublesome smirk fueled by her excitement.

"Well," Kili whispered in her ear, sending a shiver up her spin as his warm breath fanned across her neck - a detail he both noticed and repeated, "I'm sure we can come up with something."

With a nod to the riverbank the group had been walking alongside for some time, Axell took quick notice that the stone side had become slightly muddy. Fili watched on as her eyes began to spell the exact same way his brother's did. The three proceeded to sneak over, leaving Bilbo to continue walking on in oblivion. When they reached the river, they all scattered to hide amongst the existing brush. Turns out, for their benefit, the mud was at the perfect consistency for a snowball like form to be held. And with just their luck - their mainly meaning Fili and Kili because it _always_ worked out like this for them - Thorin stopped the group to discuss camp with a couple of the elder dwarves. The boys made a notion to each other, and Axell did her best to decipher the action. However, no language training could have ever prepared her for whatever the hell that was.

"Let's start an ambush," Kili chuckled before weaving out of sight.

"Stay here and wait for the signal." And Fili was gone too.

Somehow, Axell felt like she had been placed in the spot of martyr, but accepted her fate nonetheless. Creating a pile of stacked mud-balls, she watched the group in front of her through the underbrush.

"Where's Kili and Fili?" Bofur hollered, causing the Company to swing around in curiosity.

"Axell's gone too," Dwalin was the first to notice, which surprised the woman a bit.

"They were just behind me," Bilbo scratched at his forehead in confusion, swinging around to look at the Company in distraught.

There was a pause from the group, realizing in horror that the three were left to defend the end.

"You don't think..." Dwalin trailed off with an almost fearful tone, eyes growing slightly wide as he raised his brows to Thorin.

Thorin started to search around in nervousness, his hair spiraling out behind him with the desperation he was turning with.

"Get out of the open!" Thorin hollered; most of the Company startling into action as they began to search for something to talk cover under.

The moment Thorin's words fell out of his mouth, one of the brother's threw the first of their ammunition. Mud soared through the air - with a certain inelegance to it that just upped the humour in the situation - and landed upon those who had yet to realize their circumstances. Shouts of horror and indignation echoed from the Company and by the time they rallied for revenge, most of the members had soiled clothing. The odd warrior that was smart to the ways of an ambush remaining clean or just shy of it.

Out of ammunition and wanting to up the game, Axell ran straight through the shallow side of the river and leapt onto the cliff face on the other side, climbing her way up. Hollers from the Company arose as they began to throw mud at her, which either missed or she shielded herself with her forearm with a laugh as she sat perched ten feet above them. The Company - too occupied with Axell, with the exception of a very few wise members - was oblivious to the oncoming attackers from behind, and with a evil grin from Axell above, a majority of them had more mud rain upon them. But once the boys recognized that they were outnumbered, they shed of their heavy outer layers, tossed their boots in the Company's direction, and dove into the pool the river had created.

Axell's laughter carried over the area, unaware that Thorin took his time climbing up another end of the cliff to reach her. Bofur and him, using the abandoned supplies, managed to fill a couple of pots with mud and hoist them up in order for their revenge to be found. Stalking along to where the cliff face grew tallest, Thorin toed behind the woman, and the nerve-endings in her body warned her too late. Next thing she was aware of became the tacky, grungy feeling of the mud sliding across her head and down her clothing. With a silent squeal, Axell hustled down the stone, only to be grabbed by the remaining dwarves and tackled into the mud. Her stomach hurt with the sheer play of the whole ordeal, and judging by the laughter coming off the Company, so were their own. Axell sagged in surrender, and the dwarves allowed her to sit up.

After moments of settling down from the attack, the Company ditched their outer garments and sacks before joining Fili in the pool. Kili and Thorin were still busy wrestling Bilbo into the river. Axell laid back, peeling off her boots and tossing them over her head, when she heard the first splash of a body and then a second moments later. Sitting up, the woman shed her outer layers as well, dropping them to her lap as she watched the men in slopping wet shirts began to play chicken. A pair of them lost when Dori came from nowhere, reached into one of the lower men's trousers, and fished out a pair of briefs only to pull much higher than should have been allowed.

A soft splash of water against Axell's cheek signaled that someone wanted her attention. Brown eyes claimed her own, the warm breath of the raven-haired dwarf fanning against her face.

"Come on dirty girl," his contagious smile widened as he stood up, offering her his hand, "come join."

As Kili raised Axell to her feet, he pulled her hand higher to leave her arm straightened in the air, which he used to his advantage to hoist her onto his shoulders and run along the shallow lift of the river before dumping her into the pool. His boisterous laugh the primary thing she heard when resurfacing. Never had felt more involved and accepted to the group than this very moment. And she thrived in it.


	19. Twitchy

_Misty Mountains_

It has been about five months of travelling for the Company; Thorin forcing everyone to hustle along due to the short time period before Durin's Day. Five months of close proximity, and only one woman in the group. Everything grows repetitive for her, and sometimes she sees and hears things she really shouldn't.

This was not one of those times.

Thunder boomed and rolled overhead, lightning cracking from all sides. The white light spearing into the rock above, sending the remains crumbling towards them. The wind howled, ripping the Company's words away and playing with them. The strength of the invisible waves nearly drug everyone off the cliff's edge multiple times. It was apparent that survival would not be a tasked pulled off by many if they continued on this path.

"Hey! Hold on!" Thorin hollered in desperation, fearfully gripping onto the mountain surface.

Each one on this ledge had not a problem with his demands, none wanting to have the fate of falling to the bottomless gully below. Almost instantly with Thorin's words, Bilbo slips while attempting to clutch the roughly patterned wall at his side.

"BILBO!" Dwalin shout in fear, watching his friend nearly fall to his death.

Had the man not shot his arm out with the amazing reflexes he had, Bilbo would not have been alive long enough to let the terrified hollers past his lips. Fear engulfed the Hobbit's face, Dwalin and Bofur quick to pull him back to the side of the mountain when they knew their grips would fail soon. Everyone surrounding the three screamed and shout in fear and relief during the entire ordeal.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin's words had not been lost in the wind that time and he knew without spinning around that everyone agreed.

Axell clung to the stone beside her knowing that if her grip tightened, her palm would be pooling with blood. Everyone had a hold of each other by this time. One of Kili's arms snaked around Axell's middle while he hollered, and Dori clung to her arm ahead of her as he wiped the water out of his eyes.

"Look out!" Dwalin suddenly bellowed, staring out into the distant and dark sky.

Lively, fearful noises were emitted from everyone at the sight of the odd object cutting through the air. The boulder collided with the rock wall above them, falling close to Dwalin and poor little Bilbo. The ledge that the two were standing on crumbled away, and Dwalin clutched to Bilbo's overcoat knowing that he was the only one capable of saving him if the path were to give way. To everyone's relief it hadn't, but Dwalin's grip wouldn't relax.

"Look out, brother!" Gloin had hollered upon seeing a couple stray rocks battering their way to said sibling's location.

"Hold on!" Kili had cried, frightful of all the strange happenings around him.

"This is no thunderstorm. It's a thunder-battle!" Balin's wise voice carried as he pointed to the moving stone in the distance. "Look!"

"Well, bless me. The legends are true. Giants! Stone-Giants!" Bofur shout in amazement, watching the creatures fight all while standing far too close to the edge.

"Take cover, you fool!" Thorin bellowed, watching his blond nephew drag back the clueless man.

"Hold on!" Dwalin attempted to holler over the storm, still clutching desperately onto a paralyzed looking Bilbo.

The rock the Company stood on started to sway and crack. Axell was belligerent to why for a brief moment, but upon realization feared for everyone's safety.

"What's happening?" Kili's tone obviously afraid of the magic that dwell in the stone.

"Grab my hand." Fili desperately cried, reaching out for Kili but by then it was too late.

Screams, hollers, and shouts clearly rung as the remaining dwarfs clutched the leg of the giant for dear life. Axell grasp dug into the slick rock behind her, her hands dragging harshly with each rough movement of the creature she stood on. At least one hand would be covered in blood due to the jagged edges, that much she _was _sure of. The Company stuck on the giant began to believe the light of day would never be seen again, until the lurch of stone meeting stone tossed all aboard to and fro. Hope was sparked again, all struggling in panic to move.

"Go, go, go!" Thorin rushed, watching in helplessness as everyone dove off.

"Run! Get off! Get off!" Balin spewed.

Lightning lighted the sky, rain poured down, and thunder rolled louder than the sound of rock hitting rock as the Stone Giants fought to the death. It pained them to know that half of the Company was still trapped on a battlefield they had no chance of surviving.

"Look out!" Dori hollered in fear, dropping to his stomach as a Giant's fist came flying towards their location.

To say the others mimicked his actions would be an understatement. Manly shouts rang through Axell's head as she managed to stay silent. Terror filled screams came from overhead and stone supporting a large majority of the Company swung past. The sight and sounds nerved every part of the small group, forcing them to leap up in horror. Axell froze in fear when the giant changed direction suddenly, dropping down and impacting heavily. The stone body collapsed against the mountainside, and all ran when it came away blank. Blue eyes watched the movement of the men ahead of her in hopes of understanding, seeing as how she could only hear Thorin's and Gloin's calls from ahead as they pushed on.

"No! No!" Thorin desperately ran. "No! Fili!"

Axell heard nothing come from Thorin as he stood solid, emotions pouring out at whatever he was seeing. Those stuck behind him panicked, not able to see or hear what was happening ahead of the leader. Thankfully Gloin put their fearful souls to rest.

"It's alright! They're alive!" Gloin exclaimed over the wind in relief.

Laughter of relief released from each one of them, something that lightened their hearts for a moment. Until Bofur's frantic voice miraculously echoed in the storm.

"Where's Bilbo? Where's the Hobbit?" Bofur spun around from where he sat, obviously frightened for the poor creature's fate. "There!"

As much as Axell wanted to rush to Bilbo's aid, she had no window of opportunity. Half a dozen dwarves lied between the smallest of the Company and herself, and the woman growled at her inability to help. Thorin's words were nearly lost in the wind as Bofur dove towards the struggling Hobbit, his widening in alarm when his friend's hands slipped further down the edge.

"Get him!" Thorin ordered, horrified that he may have been the one to lead the innocent creature to his peril.

"Grab my hand!" Ori begged, fear ignited at his buddy's horror stricken eyes.

"Bilbo!" Trepidation obvious in Bofur's continuously lightening expression.

"Ori, be careful!" Dori cried to his younger, afraid of the potentially same fate as Bilbo.

"Take it!" Ori begun to panic, stretching out further for his endangered friend.

Through their hollers, Axell detected the worried voices of the toughest warriors. The taller of the two willing to do anything for the older.

"I've got you lad." Dwalin ensured, Thorin satisfied with the words of his best friend.

With that, Thorin found a foothold amongst the moist stone that Bilbo dreadfully hung from. The brave leader hoisted the Hobbit up to the awaiting arms of the relieved dwarfs.

"Grab on!" Ori sighed as he grasped Bilbo, encouraging him to return the hold. "Grab on!"

He hadn't hesitated to obey the young dwarf, distinguished whatever clothing he could grip in his mitts. It appeared to take little effort to drag small Bilbo back onto the mountainside. When Thorin knew that the burglar was settled upon solid ground, he began to crawl upwards. Although, not even The King Under the Mountain was impervious to wet rock, slipping just the same as Bilbo had earlier. Dwalin must be exhausted with stress after saving the seemingly two most important people in one day. Axell had to give it to the man, he had amazing reflexes for his kind. His arm had shot out faster than ever before, grasping the wrist of the most important person in this Company. Dwalin hesitated not, yanking Thorin up as far as his arms could manage.

"Come on. Get him," Dwalin struggled, trying to keep himself from dropping Thorin and preventing both of their deaths.

"Come on, lad. Up you get." Gloin's voice rung as he hurried to aid the hardened men.

All seated on the stone finally allowed breath to penetrate their lungs, knowing that death has not won yet.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin admitted, comforted by all those panting around him.

"He's been lost ever since he left home." Thorin grumbled, obviously blaming Bilbo for his near-death experience; although, it was never his fault. "He should never have come. He has no place amongst us."

Stomping over to what appeared to be a cave entrance, Thorin - much to Axell's horror - peered inside the darkness.

"Dwalin!" Thorin summoned his friend with a nod of his head.

As the two muttered to themselves, the groups of brothers banned together to relish in relief. Axell sat heaving next to Bilbo who was suctioned into Bofur's embrace, holding his hand, allowing herself a moment to sit in silence. Fili came around to Axell's empty side to hold her face in his hands to place his forehead against hers with a heavy sigh, rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs before moving on to find his brother again.

"Hey. In here, keep dry." Thorin bellowed at the soaked crew as he leaned out of the mouth of the cave.

Most dwarfs immediately settled down, trying to get comfortable in the small area, which was heating up quickly due to the body heat. Dwalin searched to find the back of the cave nearby, a lantern oddly undying in the cold, windy loop. How the men forgot about their wet garments was beyond the ocean eyed woman.

"There's nothing here." Dwalin announced, alerting every tired soul that they were no longer moving.

Axell would have preferred to be out in the darkness of the storm.

"Thorin," Axell beckoned, catching his attention efficiently, "are we to wait in this cave until Gandalf regroups?"

"That was the plan." Thorin eyes roamed over her face with a squint, "Why do you concern yourself?"

"These mountains are scarcely vacant, it would be wiser to continue on." Thorin watched as nervous energy poured from her, the woman shifting from one foot to the other.

"Alright. We will have it your way," he quietly pledged, an exception on the end of his tongue, "but these dwarfs will not be as willing to listen, give them a night's rest."

With an absentminded nod in response, she allowed the man to move on. She had dealt with less.

"Right, then. Let's get a fire started." Gloin excitedly blared, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"No. No fires. Not in this place." Thorin murmured to Gloin, soon switching his attention to the Company. "Get some sleep. We start at first light."

"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us..." Balin argued, unknowing of the change or why it occurred. "That was the plan."

"Plans change." Thorin explained simply to Balin, before his attention switched to Bofur. "Bofur, take the first watch."

The man did not look pleased, but it was to be expected after saving lives and nearly dying. However, he had not complained; the loyalty of these men never failed.

Axell stood still for a moment, her clothes slopping water. The leather armour she wore still rolling water off it, if she hadn't oiled it as frequently as she did during her travels it definitely would have been a mess to deal with. A pool of water begun to form at her feet, although she'd been standing for what felt like a few short seconds. The dwarf woman was too deep in thought to realize how long she remained frozen.

"Axell, you've got to be uncomfortable." Fili voice rung throughout the stone room, bringing her back to reality.

"Nah," she shrugged, removing her cloak in order to being to wiggle out of the semi-dry armour in order to change her clothing.

"You're sopping wet," he explained, considering her response to be ridiculous.

"Do you have clothes to change out of?" Kili wondered, tilting his head as he shifted into a less awkward sitting position.

"Yes," Axell, dropped her quiver and bow in order to sling her bag down into reach.

"You'll freeze if it's more of those ridiculous elf cloth they consider clothing." Dwalin stated, overhearing the conversation.

"Aye, take these." Bofur suddenly quipped, tossing an extra undershirt into her arms.

She was momentarily stunned, quickly moving once she began to feel the ice under her skin.

Axell handed off her dry pants to the black haired archer who awaited the extra task. With her free hands, she began to remove the leather pieces. It was the leather bindings - which did little against the storm - that she fumbled with. The vambraces were simple enough, but the wet shirt was a trouble to shuck off. Toeing out of her boots, she took the dry clothing from Kili and move to the tiny alcove that provided at least some privacy.

Returning in an undershirt and dry trousers, the woman shook at the breeze the cave endured.

"Take this," Kili offered another shirt, probably one of his own; the fabric was thick and compellingly soft. "It will keep you much warmer in these weather conditions."

With a quick and gentle 'thank you', Axell pulled on the clothing and replaced her leather gear. An action that seemed odd to the younger members but received no questions from the older men. Double checking her knives wouldn't stab anyone in her sleep, she settled down beside the warmer bodies.

Sleep greeted most of the Company quickly that night and with the warmth radiating in the room, Axell had to fight in order to not succumb. In times like these sleep was her enemy.

An arm had been wound around her waist earlier, the owner being the charcoal haired archer. The even puffs of breath was an indication to Axell that he fell asleep long before he did it, and in experimentation she arched away from him only to be pulled tight against her in his deep slumber. Instead of his arm, his entire back pressed against her body.

Now, however, she had a hand grip her wrist tightly. But it did not belong to the same Durin. It was Kili's blond counterpart. But his tight grip was merely one body he was connected to, this man had a limb touching the dwarves sleeping around him. As if they were seeking a source of comfort while they slept.

The soundless dwarves all signaled exactly how exhausted everyone had been, and Axell, not being immune to sleep, eventually joined the rest.


	20. Troubled Times

_Mountain Pass_

Red. Blood pounding, heart throbbing, ear screeching red. That was the siren going off in Axell's head. Her years of constant survival mode triggering her sixth sense into action so abruptly that when she awoke, she jolted to life. The stone under her cheek was chilling, physically but also mentally.

Mumbling registered in her ears next and she was hardly considered awake when she recognized the voices of Bilbo and Bofur. Under any other circumstances, she may have eavesdropped, but she couldn't bring herself to listen to anything other than the feeling of her skin tingling.

Kili and Fili had hardly moved since she had fallen asleep, forcing her to wiggle slowly out of their grasps. Once she sat up she felt the tension of eyes on her, and with a quick once over of the room, she took notice of Thorin's eyes on her.

It nerved her deeply due to the already existing feeling of pending doom, but she shook it off enough to peer around the room, looking for any signs of something wrong. All while doing so, she strapped on her thigh bag, quiver, and any other precautionary items that she had abandoned earlier. That definitely caught Thorin's attention, and he too started peering about the room.

The small grains of sand began to split between them, and the foreshadowing sound of silent groaning metal filled the cave. Thorin and Axell met eyes, both shaken and fearful glints misting over them. Axell clung to her swords tightly, and Thorin proceeded to yell everyone awake.

"Wake up!" The fear and shock was the first thing the dwarves must have noticed, seeing as how they all stirred immediately. "Wake up!"

The dwarves only got the opportunity to sit up, at the most, before the cave floor fell out beneath them. When the dwarves landed they only found more to be raining down on top of them. They were drug off harshly by goblins immediately. Axell refused to speak, unlike her companions. She controlled her fear, silent with her head held high ignoring the tugging and keeping up gracefully with the vile goblins.

"Get away!" Dori yelled in terror, surprised to be awaken to this.

The wood bridges and pathways groaned beneath the weight of the Company along with the dozens of goblins that forced them along.

"Filthy scum!" Gloin, more angered and insult-ready supplied as he ripped his arms from sticky, greasy fingers.

"Get back!" Dwalin barked in red anger as his twin battle axes were carried out of his reach.

He was bound to snap at them worse. If Axell learned anything within the months, it would be that Dwalin doesn't answer to anyone. Nor does he listen to anyone. She could only imagine the pain he must be experiencing.

"You'll pay for this!" Gloin spat in disgust at the endless brigade surrounding him.

"Alright, alright. Don't push." Dori was a quick thinker, and he knew when he's lost all control of the situation.

Axell passed the time by counting down the seconds, it was either going to be Dwalin or Thorin that went off next. But judging by the fact that _all_ of the burliest dwarf's weapons have disappeared, Dwalin was the most likely to spit fire. Axell was quick to think, she knew some weapons were not misplaced. Fili was a walking armory, the goblins are not able to outwit the dwarf. Neither would they find some of her own.

"Get off! Get your hands off me! Get off me!" Dwalin's fists of fury began flying, a number of the company having to duck away from the pissed man.

"Get off me!" Nori spat, and judging by the way he had gotten suddenly quiet, he had noticed something with his keen eyes.

Groans from each of the dwarves could be heard over the goblins. It comforted Axell, but only slightly. Especially with all things considered. Thorin, while he was complaining - quite loudly - had taken note of Axell's posture and forced a similar one, except with an added regal definition to it. For the effect of his majestic person, Axell added mentally.

Drums thudded in the distance, the noise so vulgar and hateful that it echoed throughout skulls. It was during this that the Company felt a slight amount of envy towards Oin, the dwarf will not be able to hear a large amount for some time. And he may be thankful for that at this moment, seeing as how most were covering their ears in vain.

Upon reaching their destination, being drug from plank to plank, bridge to bridge, and landing to landing, it was amazing everyone reached the place the throne sat alive.

Using a pile of goblins as a personal footstool, the Goblin King dismounted from his throne to lean forward and peer in judgement at the dwarves.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?" He growled, ending with a questioning shriek. "Spies, thieves, assassins?!"

"Dwarves, your malevolence." A high-pitched goblin answered.

Grunts and groans, and sounds of stuffed breathing and snarls resounded in the goblins surrounding the Company.

"Dwarves?" The King inquired.

"We found 'em on the Front Porch." The high-pitched one replied instantly.

"Well don't just stand there! Search them! Every crack! Every crevice!" The ruler bellowed.

Grungy hands pulled at clothing to grab into or find pockets. Axell closed her eyes and shuddered focusing on anything other than where their hands were doing. But she also attempted to keep something else buried in the depths of her mind. The other dwarves were sending a glare the king's way as they were stripped of weapons or necessities.

Axell's breath shook as she reopened her eyes. Her eyes revealing a sight that was just as ghastly as before. Despite the time that has passed. The sight made her shutter, altering the surrounding dwarves that something was amiss. After receiving brief but concerned looks, the focus turned back to the Goblin King. Axell wished she could allow herself to keel over from nausea.

But she was not that weak.

"What are you doing in these parts?" The King spat. "Speak!"

Silence followed.

"Very well. If they will not talk, then we'll make them squawk! Bring up the mangler! Bring up the bone-breaker! Start with the youngest!" The Goblin King demanded, pointing at a terrified looking Ori.

There was a hesitation in the king's eyes as they ran over the woman next to the dwarf. A malicious grin grew larger on his face as he leaned back to roam his eyes across her. Ori turned in horror as he noticed the change in attention, causing the other dwarves to follow his gaze. Few grew horrified at the thoughts that passed through their own heads.

Axell's blue eyes were his initial clue, and she knew it. It was the blue he recognized, too startling in the firelight to go unnoticed. Her trembling was only noticeable to Ori, who reached across to her and gave her hand a brief squeeze in reassurance. It did nothing, but she appreciated what she could.

With a shrug of his staff, the goblins surrounding her dragged her forward. Dragging her forward with an angered force, hard enough to scrape her boots across the wooden platform beneath them. And while she went with them, she held her breath the closer she got. Once within distance, he leaned forward to peer directly into her eyes.

"Well, well. You have a lot of nerve coming here again." The King started drooling before it morphed to a disgusted scowl, his voice exiting his throat as a hateful growl.

Another goblin grabbed a fistful of her loose hair, and pulled her head back to expose the unbuckled leather and part of her throat. Placing the horn on the skull of his staff beneath her chin, he held her head in an uncomfortable position as she heaved a breath out in defiance.

"Especially with the failure you're known as recently." He chuckled menacingly, straightening up and driving the horn up harder in warning. "Did you disappoint that king you served. Because I can assure you, with the reputation you had, I was disappointed. How could you fail to miserable, little, old me? I wasn't much of a target."

The Goblin King let out a high pitched chuckle and looked across the eyes of a few dwarves, who faces look startled.

"Oh, they didn't know did they?" A stomp to shift his weight proved that he was enjoying this, "they didn't know that you served as a killer for the entirety of your life? That is, if you are who my sources say you are."

Axell looked him in the eyes, but her mind was elsewhere. Anywhere but there. Anywhere but in that moment. Anywhere but being stripped back down to her past in front of the entire Company to see. The air in her lungs struggled to escape, and neither would any enter. She did everything in her power to avoid curling into herself, remaining resolute to him. She shivered as he continued his words, his whisper frighteningly loud.

"Do you remember what your stay was like last time? Do you remember the blades that pierced your skin? And the ropes that squeezed at your throat?" He hissed deeply, enjoying the fear she attempted to hide; enjoying his show. "That will seem like a dream compared to what I am going to let them do to you now...Assassin!"

The king dropped his staff from her throat and the goblin that held her yanked back on her hair, forcing her to follow him. And as she was about to fight back, the looks on some of the Company's faces drained her of anything she had left to dish out.

"Take her to the The Wrangler! The Stripper! The Slayer!" He laughed manically to his servants and slaves, halting for a brief moment to think through his plan.

His attention turned to his audience, a twisted smirk slapped across his features.

"What say you?!" He roared, and his people answered.

_Wrangler,_

_Stripper,_

_Slayer,_

_Cannibal..._

_Cannibal,_

_Cannibal._

"Give the people what they want. Take her to The Cannibal. Only, do not let death come upon her, that would be far too sparing for her kind." The King scowled, spitting in my direction.

Axell was dragged through the Company and awaiting goblins, their nails jagged and scrapping at her where they could. And she yelled and fought the best she could while being dragged by the neck at a pace she struggled to keep up to. Thorin's voice boomed as she was forced into the depths of Goblin-Town.

With the final goodbye present in the air, she resigned herself to not seeing the Company again. This horrid fate seeming to be her demise. She would admit to nobody but herself, but she had managed to get something of a family before her time was up.

And that was enough.


	21. The Great Escape

_Goblin-Town_

"Wait!" Thorin's deep voice cut through the noise of the goblins as he moved to the front of the group.

"Well, well, well," the Goblin King raised his nonexistent brows in pretend surprise, "Look who it is! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain."

The king bowed mockingly, "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain! And you're not a king. Which makes you, nobody, really."

He chuckled in a high pitched tone, the other Goblins mimicked his action.

"What is to become of the girl?" Thorin lowered his head in a glower and his voice trembled with the sounds of a growl.

"The girl will get what she deserves. No point in worrying about her anymore." The Goblin King sneered in anger, his hideous face lightening for a brief moment to consider a possible challenge. "But do you even know who she belonged to? Nothing short of a few years ago?

The goblin received a glare from every dwarf but the most prominent ones were from Thorin, Bofur, and Kili.

"Well, if you don't know who she is, I guess there isn't real harm in...explaining. I always enjoy telling...tales." Widened eyes pierced deeper at Thorin who remained silent.

The Goblin King's face was heavy with a putrid and dire hate. A look Thorin had not held on his own, not even for the foulest of his enemies. Not that he would admit it to a soul, but he worried for the young warrior, unknowing of the troubles she could be facing alone. The wolfish dwarf kept his face void of interest and expression of anarchy present as a challenge to the goblin, buying them more time for what he knew not.

"All of the reigning kings over Middle-Earth know you despise the Elven King of the Woodland Realm, King Thranduil. Explains to me why she failed to mention her past alliance. I know nothing more about her or why she suddenly disappeared for more than twenty years after the attempt on my life. But if there are a few things that I do know, it's this..."

The king's staff came down as he leaned closer to Thorin, almost as if he wanted the next piece of information to be truly heard out. To be a warning to him.

"A life like hers isn't just abandoned. It isn't just, forgotten. Skills like the ones she has don't go away. They die with her," and slowly straightening up, the king concluded his story, "which is precisely what I have planned for her, because unlike the Elven King, I'm not as forgetful."

Cackling filled the menacing area from the laughter of the king's servants. Silence took over the caves next as the goblin king looked at Thorin skeptically.

"I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head..."

Axell had a much more difficult situation on her hands than just listening to the ongoing voice of the king that the other dwarves faced. After being strapped onto a post in the middle of some carved out, bloodied, bone filled, room, did Axell notice that the cuffs on her were meant for the strongest of enemies from escaping. The woman's front leaned against the front of the wooden beam and the sound of metal singing behind her had Axell's eyes shutting in surrender. The Cannibal grumbled in satisfaction and the sound of a whip cut through the air before intense pain shot through her body. An intense and searing pain shot throughout her back and she couldn't help but let out a howl of shock and agony as the first blow connected.

The Goblin King turned to a smaller of his kind, the odd creature sitting on a bucket, hanging from a strange array of lines and chords.

"Send word to the Pale Orc, tell him that I have found his prize." The Goblin leader rushed.

A pain filled scream pierced through the caves as the Company stood listening, knowing exactly who it belonged to. All the Goblins cackled, the noise sounding more evil as it echoed.

"That's why you don't try to assassinate the Goblin King!" The Goblin Ruler's chuckle sounded deep and deranged as it ran through the caves and tunnels.

He began to leap, dance, and sing in enjoyment for what seemed like an eternity to Kili who was boiling in rage. The Company was to be searched according to the Goblin King's demand, for the third time that hour. But upon finding the Goblin-Cleaver, an endless amount of Goblins pounced on them as the King howled in fear.

"I know that sword! It is the Goblin-cleaver!" Whips came at the group from all directions, and a fire fueled within some of the dwarves at the thought of Axell and what they must be doing to her. "The Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks. Slash them! Beat them!"

The leather hitting the members stung immensely, and a few of them knew there would be welts to deal with later.

"Kill them! Kill them all!" The King bellowed, gesturing to Thorin. "Cut off his head!"

"Kill them! Kill them all!" The King bellowed, gesturing to Thorin. "Cut off his head!"

Suddenly a bright white light filled the area, forcing everybody to the floor or against the nearest object. Time slowed down while the candles relighted and Gandalf came into view with a seemingly calm appearance.

"Take up arms. Fight." He commanded, and there was no hesitation to be found. "Fight!"

"He wields the Foe-hammer! The Beater! Brightest daylight!" And with that, the Goblin King fell into the gully after colliding with Thorin's strength.

Axell remained unaware that the dwarves were fighting for their lives, she could only hear the cackling that remained heavy in the room. She wasn't given a moment to breathe, as the weapon of choice The Cannibal used rain directly where it had been moments before. Immense burning spread down the brunette's spine, and she could feel her body shaking in shock. Her heart was pulsing through her veins and the movement in the room seemed to be wading through tar.

Over and over, this torture proceeded, every strike more painful than the last. It was as if The Cannibal was digging his way through to her spine. And if it weren't for the weight of her situation, she would have thought she imagined the feeling of warm blood running down her back.

The whip stopped raining down on her, and she hoped that maybe, just maybe he could hear something she couldn't. But as a foul kick was delivered to her ribs twice, she strangled out a sob. She wanted to scream, to cry, to sob more than she ever had before. And all she could do was let her head lean against the post in a submission to her fate.

As her screams died down to merely whimpers, The Cannibal walked around to look at her as she leaned against the post, leaving his back to the door. For a split moment, she believed his skin flinched and crawled with twisted pleasure at her struggle.

Her mind occupied mind fought off the cloud of darkness threatening to block her vision when a sudden crash broke the door down. Before the goblin could turn, a sword was being thrust through his chest. Recognizing what looked to be Kili and Bifur, the man with the axe-head stuck in his skull retrieved the key to undo her cuffs while Kili grasped her face in his hands. Pulling her shirt back down over her back, she stood using the post as leverage, ready to fight like a madman. Grabbing one of her twin blades on the weapons table with a shudder, she followed Kili out while Bifur supported her.

The Company appeared to be split up, and Axell's main fear was that she was slowing them all down. Everyone was fighting for their lives as goblins continued to pile their ways down upon the dwarves. After a few moments, Axell's adrenaline caught up to her and she began to handle herself. A number of dwarves took notice but were too occupied with goblins they were fighting off to do anything about it. Despite everything, the woman still moved with a precision and grace that only years of training and combat could accomplish.

The brunette was managing as well as she could, and was doing so beautifully, until a goblin attacked her to the ground. Her back collided with the planks and in a fit of pain, she lashed her elbow out calculatedly - surprising even herself - before biting her lip and letting out a scream. Tripping over itself, the goblin grabbed his nose and fell into the deep ravine below.

Black edges licked at the corner of Axell's sight, and as the dwarves kept fighting, she rolled over onto her side trying to find the strength to get back up. Air penetrated her lungs again, and just as she was about to get up, Fili over-analyzed his footing and drove his damp and bloody boot into her back. Axell let out a howl of pain and surged upward, swaying and stumbling on the spot before picking up her sword and continuing on. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she could only imagine how crazed her eyes were and how desperate it must have spoken to the Company.

Fili continued forward, his fist clenching her upper arm in one hand as he fought with the other. She couldn't see much, and as much as she hated to admit it, he was keeping her walking straight at the moment. But she wasn't about to let Fili completely defend her honour either, she defended herself much to his displeasure.

The screeching death of Goblins flooded the Company's ears, and the lively hollers of dwarves and the zealous shouts of Gandalf kept everyone moving onward. Nearly free, the Goblin King burst from beneath them. And Axell watched with a sour expression as Gandalf slayed him with two slices of a sword.

But when the Goblin King dropped so did the bridge. It was a miracle that everyone survived the drop, and an even larger miracle that Axell hadn't noticed the weight of the Goblin King on top of them. The woman hadn't fallen not too far from Gandalf when they landed, but it was another dwarf who pulled her onward in front of them. Her first thought was Kili, but as he was calling out to Gandalf from far behind her, she decided that it was in their best interest to not make assumptions. She focused on keeping her feet under her and her sight focused on the path in front of her especially with her strength fading.

She was guided through the tunnels and weaved for what must have been a few rough minutes. For Axell, it was an eternity. Just as she started to see daylight her legs gave way and she collapsed against the tunnel wall. She dodged just enough to get out of everyone's way, but still felt a pair of arms drag her to her feet and press on. Staggering out of the tunnel, she tried not to press her weight against the man but once her feet hit the downhill slopes of grass, she lost any bit of leverage she had. A groan of pain passed her lips as her body jarred, nearly dragging the dwarf down for what had to be the third time. Wanting to get down the hill before they got killed, the dwarf threw the girl over his shoulders best he could. He was a little surprised at how light in weight she was, perhaps it was the dwarf strength combined with adrenaline. Finally reaching a safe distance away, the dwarf bent down to settle Axell against the nearest tree, and she looked up to none other than Thorin Oakenshield.

She regained enough of her senses to force out a few moderately coherent words.

"Th-" She inhaled sharply as Thorin shifted her hips, causing her spine to rotate beneath the wounds; the motion sending her words stuttering. "Thorin."

"I'm sorry," Axell heaved.

A genuine look of concern glazed over his icy blue eyes, before it suddenly turned to pure anger. His nose screwing up pure spite, as he stood up and took a few stomping steps away.

"Thorin," He forced himself to look at Axell as she struggled to breathe.

A commotion happened amongst the Company, Axell catching only a name as her vision swayed. _Bilbo_. For the life of her, she couldn't focus on why he was important at the moment. The only thing she could feel was the large dwarf hand forcing her to look at the owner. Just as soon as the hand was placed, it was gone. Gandalf got louder in the background. Thorin competing with him in volume.

Axell shook her head, trying to clear her mind and fought to support her legs. Gasping on the verge of hyperventilating, she fought through the burning sensation on her back. She began staggering, trying to stand independently of the tree. Her weight began to lean, and she knew her body was zigzagging about the spot she stood.

Suddenly, a pair of large hands shot out roughly, shaking her body slightly. And her brain supplied her with _fight_, and she tried, she threw a punch that connected and stumbled back in hopes to keep out of reach. But was only tossed backwards passed the man she tried to defend herself against.

Loud voices mixed with the sound of a slight ringing that she was defend by. She made out the angry yelling of a dwarf just as a boot made contact with the exact ribs that had been booted earlier. Only this time, she didn't have the energy to flinch in response. Dwalin was being scolded harshly, and she could only imagine that it was him yelling at her.

Knowing she couldn't fight back, she let her head drop to the ground with a heavy sigh as her energy faded. She couldn't feel anything. Nothing but fire and scorching agony. Couldn't hear anything but the sound of voices being submerged in water. Her eyes couldn't even process much more than fuzzy colorful shadows.

The one thing she did notice was a gentle hand - much smaller and slimmer than any dwarf - cupping the side of her face buried in the dirt to place it in a tiny lap.

Unconsciousness was closing in on her. Blood leaking out slowly from her wounds. The wounds faded out into a numbing sensation, as if thousands or even millions of minuscule bugs where climbing over her. Her limbs grew heavier as the sensation grew throughout her body.

Seeing nothing more than fuzzy green and dark blue, which she guessed was the tree tops and the dusking sky. As she let the darkening in her vision to take her, her body went limp and her head lolled back into the lap supporting it. Her hand became dependent on the young dwarf desperately wanting a response from her. Her brain allowed to hear a few last things before blackness swiftly took her.

Then there was nothing but lonesome darkness.


	22. Aftermath

_The weight of unconsciousness is shocking. It's a world of its own. Floating in between the world of existing and darkness. There is a feeling of drifting where there is no choices, nothing to worry about. But still a feeling of helplessness and panic. The only option available is to wait and hope that the state is neither real or permanent._

Axell startled conscious with a weak gasp, trying to shake the strong feeling of sleep wanting to pull her back into the depths of nothing. It felt like forever when she finally managed to overcome the sense. She shifted uncomfortably and silently groaned, her body trembled and her throat burned. Trying to breathe in through her mouth caused her to shake awake with a coughing fit until a waterskin was placed at her lips. Gulping from it greedily, she took in as much water as the member of the Company let her before pulling it away. A relieved smile fell on Gloin's face as he backed away to let the others do their job.

Fire engulfed every bone and nerved in her body at the position she was in. However, her mind spun relentlessly as she tried to sit up on her own. She didn't know which was worse. As someone came to her aid and forced her upward, she could feel the stomach-churning nausea hit, only lasting until she could remain seated by herself. And by herself, meaning propped up by a part of the cliff mountain she sat against. Only when the sickness pass did she feel the fatigue that clung to her, forcing her eyelids to be heavy and her bones to ache at her hunched position.

"Alright, I'm back and ready to patch people up." Oin stated, having found natural supplies from the surrounding forest, and more water for cleaning injuries. "Who's first?"

He hadn't noticed Axell and neither did she notice him. It wasn't until Gandalf gestured towards her, where Bofur sat nearby keeping watch over her and trying to get her to acknowledge that he was speaking to her.

Oin and Bofur made eye contact and Bofur shrugged with a shake of his head, clearly having no luck getting though to her. Oin nodded his head and muttered to himself in acknowledgement.

"Bilbo," Oin hollered, throwing his arm up as a signal to follow him, "come. Come learn."

The small hobbit followed in suit, as prepared for Oin's instructed as he could be.

Axell manage to look around without black spots contaminating her vision, instead the world tilted and swayed and her lungs heaved and trembled. She could make out three people in front of her but all their speaking sounded garbled.

Oin and Bofur conversed to one another before finally coming to terms with the fact that they would need to carry her closer to the fire and supplies. Daylight may have been just settled in for the day, but there were some precautions needed to be taken.

The only pot left from the goblins is going to be put to good use today, because as clean as stream water can be, it isn't always safe. Both dwarves placed Axell down next to the cooling pot of boiled water, most of the Company gathered on the other side of the fire pit. Everyone was tired and sore after the past few days they've had, so taking the day to heal and rest seemed necessary.

Once the boys had her settled, and laying on her stomach for the next while, Bilbo pushed her hair out of her face to give her an apologetic smile that was lost on her.

"Okay, judging by the blood stains on her shirt," there was a pause as a few of them came to realize it was Kili's shirt, and there was plenty of blood to be seen through the thick fabric, "I'm going to have you work on the other Mr. Baggins."

The hobbit nodded, his wiry curls flinging with the movement in response to Oin. After receiving confirmation that he was understood, he lifted up a plant and held it just a little too close to the smaller creatures face.

"Is that comfrey?" The hobbit narrowed his eyes at the plant in question.

"This is comfrey," Oin stated deafly, oblivious to the roll of Bilbo's eyes, "you're going to do two things with it. First you're going to cook and mash the roots and apply it to any bruises, burns, or sprains. Then you're going to peel more root, add it to a bit of water and simmer it. Leave a rag in that for fifteen minutes then apply it to the skin for fifteen minutes. Once you're done with that leave the comfrey paste on and wrap their injuries the best you can. Got it?"

Nodding, Bilbo grabbed a handful of the comfrey and continued as much as he could on the roasting stones next to the fire. One of the men handed Bilbo a whittling knife to peel the root with.

Oin turned back to Axell, giving her shake and couple of taps to the forehead. He was concerned with her lack of verbal response but she blinked with each tap, so he would take what he could get. Giving Bofur a nod, the two raised the layers over her back, recoiling back when they saw the extent of the damage. Looking up to Bofur, he sighed and nodded.

"I'm gonna need a lot of yarrow," and with a nod of acknowledgement, Bofur was gone.

Running his hand over the area, not allowing his hand to come in contact with the area, he felt for any radiating heat. He shook his head when most of her back turned out to be in that condition.

"I'm gonna need a hand with this," Oin mumbled, "she's not gonna like me much after I start."

Oin couldn't heard the shuffle of feet, nor could be hear the gasping breath that Fili took as he kneel down on Axell's other side.

Her back was strips of beaten flesh, The Cannibal had a signature, every laceration on her back ran in the exact same diagonal direction. Blood was dried thick on her skin, and her wounds were severe. Fili sat in dismay, tears present in his eyes as he ran his fingers gently over a blackening bruise over her left ribs, afraid to touch her anywhere else.

"And she still fought her way out," his voice was watery with fear and pain.

He wanted to weep for her.

"Aye," Oin nodded, turning to grab the pot and cloth, only somewhat hearing the man.

Fili steeled himself, and placed his hands between her shoulders to push her chest down and straddled her waist and shifted his body to the left in order to give Oin access without her moving much. Axell tensed beneath him, but made no motion to fight.

Pouring the water directly onto her back to flush out most of the blood and grime, Axell inhaled shakily in recognition. But otherwise, her body was too hot and too cold and she could see nothing but blurs. She wanted to sleep again but was in too much pain to even do that.

"She's gonna feel this," Oin looked at Fili pointedly, who tensed up and prepared himself for a fight.

Bringing the cloth down against her, Oin added some pressure to the wounds in order to clean them well. Axell let out a cry in pain, and tried her best to roll towards the weight on her body, moving with it in attempts to free herself. Oin moved faster, not wanting to miss anything but not wanting her to be in pain. But with his quick movements came a bit more pressure than he would have liked.

The Company jumped at the sudden struggle, her cry being the first actual sound she had made since waking. Nori was gone, he mentally checked out the moment Fili sounded like crying. Dori was cradling Ori, hushing his fears as best as he could and trying to distract the sensitive dwarf from Axell's screams. Bifur sat sharpening his blade, flinching every time Axell cried out. Bombur sat next to Bilbo distracting them both by helping the best he could. Gloin sat cleaning the blades, silently looking between the others. Balin sat just shy of Fili, watching the tinted colour slide of her back with each passing stroke. Dwalin stood with Thorin, both discussing what to do next. Gandalf had left earlier to find the path and map out the area before coming back to relay information to Thorin. And Kili sat staring at his hands until finally, he had to grab his bow and quiver and leave. The moment he was out of sight, tears fell down his cheeks for her.

Bofur came bolting out of the thicket with an armload of yarrow as if he were on fire, the woman's cries startling him into action faster. With two stones, he became grinding the leaves and flowers together to make a pasty powder substance. He spared a glance to look at Fili who looked to be in as much pain as Axell sounded.

"How much of this do you think you'll need?" Bofur ground the plant hard listening carefully to Fili.

"Uh," Fili paused looking carefully at the extensive wounds the blood was uncovering, "all of it."

Bofur paused, looking at the man in horror before being kicked back into gear by Axell's whimper.

Once the blood was gone, everyone was relieved. A tension that hung in the air as Oin looked over the depth of the wounds.

"I'm gonna need someone to boil a cloak if they've got it," He bellowed, "I don't have enough bandages for this."

"Yeah," Nori sighed, getting up from his spot, "sure thing."

With that, the man took the lone pot, dumped his cloak in it, and carried it of to the stream nearby. The silence over the group making his movements sound overtly loud.

Thorin, who had done his best to ignore everyone, had spiked in his curiosity and felt a tug in his heart in compassion for his blond sister's son. Giving Dwalin a tap, he made his way over to Fili, stroking his hair aside when he crouched down next to him. He hadn't been prepared himself, and was stunned into a pained silence when he looked upon the girl, he decided he could be angry at her another time. Ushering Fili away, he looked up to Oin and nodded that he would be his aid from this moment forward.

"Bilbo," Oin looked over to the small creature, "stay where you are, but, pay attention."

Lifting one of the flowers and a few leaves of what Bofur had yet to grind, "this is yarrow. It can stop bleeding and reduce the chances of infection. You can grind it down and place it in the wound to help healing."

With that the hobbit nodded and Oin turned back around to the young lady. Thorin, who just cleaned his hands with the water in Gloin's waterskin, offered his hands towards the man to help. The three men worked as a unit to pack in the yarrow for the best possible outcome. By the time they had finished, Nori had come back, boiled his cloak, cut them into strips, and lied them out to dry. Using pine sap as a natural antiseptic, Oin carefully layered it over her wounds.

"Wish I had honey instead," Oin mumbled in attempts to focus on anything else aside from the sight.

Thorin nodded, taking a careful look at the bruise that sat over her ribs.

"Dwalin, come check to see if her ribs are broken," Thorin gazed over at the bald man, giving him a pointed brow raise, "this bruising is particularly nasty."

Dwalin muttered foul language under his breath as he kneel down to push his palm against her side, moving her ribs in a way that caused her to groan but otherwise got no response. He focused on the way the bones moved under his hand.

"Ne," he stood, moving to aid Gloin in his work though it was nearly finished, "she'll be sore but just fine."

With a nod, Thorin reached over nudging Bilbo and gesturing toward the comfrey paste. Placing an even amount over what he could, the two men worked together to wind a bandage as well as they could around the area.

"Okay, it's nine in the morning roughly," Oin peered up into the sky, "we will need to do this by about nine at night. Twelve hour intervals."

Thorin nodded up at him, carefully moving her into a more comfortable position not as close to the fire.

"Also gotta watch her for shock now. Which is gonna be difficult because she already has half of them. Skin is going to be grey, cool, and clammy. She is gonna have a weak pulse. Nauseated and shallow breathing." Oin looked more to Bilbo than the others, and to that the hobbit nodded.

Bifur and Bilbo worked together on the Company's bruises. Axell remained in and out throughout the day, hardly talking to anyone give a few words.

Everyone just sat in silence. And Kili returned around five in the afternoon with six rabbits and two grouse.


	23. Memoirs of Darkness

Axell believed that she heard voices.

Voices sounding suspiciously similar to her name. Though, they were garbled, as if the source was underwater. They drawled and dripped in ways that couldn't be human. Anything that resounded deep sounded like growling or gargling. Some syllables that slithered off tongues sounding like snakes.

She felt drained of energy. Her body weighed down with limbs that felt detached. Eyes clouded with what appeared to be misery. When she moved, it felt she remained weighed down by a ball and chain. So she slept on and off throughout the days, never hearing anyone properly.

At this point, she felt like death.

And if you had asked the Company, she was pretty damn near it.

The woman had a fever powerful enough to cook eggs on her skin. Fluids were running from her wounds, a sight that most of the Company nearly hurled at, but in Oin's opinion had better colouring than most wounds he'd seen.

She groaned and moaned in pain while trying to roll against their arms as they held her down. Redness and swelling surrounded the area, but it was minor. It could be handled.

Thankfully, her wounds weren't hot to the touch like they had been earlier.

Oin muttered something about, "it gives her a fighting chance."

Axell, in her dizzying state, could feel the hand that was placed against her forehead. What she didn't know was that it recoiled for a moment in surprise. Slowly but surely, wide dwarf fingers danced onto her temple before sliding her hair stuck there out of her eyes.

Her body felt consumed with heat. She heaved in attempt to cool down. But the company was placing wet, cold rags on her hottest pulse points.

Every man in the Company worried. Gandalf stressed his eyebrow. Bilbo paced, waving his arms back and forth, trying to release his tension. Bofur trying to comfort him. Kili stroke the hair away from her face from where her head was placed in his lap. Fili watched his brother, afraid that he'd have to put the other back together should she not pull through. Most of the dwarves sat staring off into the distance and flinching when a new noise came from her; Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bombur, and Dwalin. Thorin watched his nephew carefully, holding her shoulders still. Gloin held her down to the best of his abilities with her wounds as sore as they were. Oin, clearly, occupied himself with cleaning out her wounds with intensive care. Three times that day he'd done already. He was tired.

Finishing his work, Oin was satisfied with her condition for the time being. The men let her go, and Kili jumped on his opportunity to wind his way around her. Moving one leg to settle, bent between her own, he shifted to allow his furthest leg to act as a pillow. It would be numb with her collapsed weight in some time, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he continued to twine his fingers through her hair.

His actions earned a stern glare from Thorin, his eyes piercing and icy towards the prince. He loathed the girl as wanted Kili to not associate himself with her likes. But in doing so, he earned himself a fierce and unforgiving glare from Fili.

Fili's actions stunned Thorin briefly, before glaring at the eldest of his nephews. But the blond refused to budge from his opinion and Thorin, not having the energy nor the care, turned away.

Little did he know that Fili took it as a win and later would manipulate certain situations to have the same outcome.

It was in these states that the Company remained. Few dared to doze off. Others just sat in a comfortable silence. Bilbo conversed quietly with Gandalf about magic, especially after yelling at him earlier to 'heal Axell like he had Thorin' that had received him a part of a lecture. Fili lied back and gazed up at the stars overhead. And Kili refused to sleep so soon after the dwarven girl just fought through a particularly rough infection.

He could feel her fever coming down, and her skin was no longer clammy. But he could wager that she would be in great pain when she came to. Brushing her hair away from her face, the raven-haired dwarf pulled it back. An action that slightly revealed her ear.

And there it was. The one dwarf attribute that she physically showed. A lone signal of confirmation that she was in fact a dwarf. After all these weeks, it was in plain sight. But she hid it from everyone's view.

His thumb brushed the skin behind it, watching as she twitched slightly in response. A quiet, gentle, adoring chuckle found it's way out of him at the sight. Leaning over, he pushed her hair over it, releasing it's confines from beneath her hair.

"Axell," he hushed, stroking the skin at the junction of her neck and shoulder in a soothing motion, "you can beat this. You're almost there."

And with a slight inhale, he admit aloud - in a roundabout way - exactly what she meant to him.

"Don't leave me yet."

It was silent, and nobody should have been able to hear it over Gandalf talking about the different kinds of magic each wizard can do. But Fili was an attentive dwarf, and near enough that not only did he hear him, but also noticed the affectionate way that Kili tapped his forehead against the woman's shoulder.

Was Thorin gonna have a fit about this one.

Thorin's eyes roared with anger and misery; burning hotter than the coals in the beast of the fire. His hair burned about his head beside the open flame. Thin lips were drawn into an menacing line, curling up with the scrunch of his nose. The glare settled on his face bellowed in agony and howled in hate. Everything about him moved like a hurricane - like the oncoming of a storm - fierce enough to bring ruin down on death's door. His dwarf qualities roared, but asleep and caged within him existed a man of reason and gentleness. Though, with his blood boiling at a rate that would rival any dragon's capabilities, there stood no chance of survival.

Especially since his anger dwells only for one person: his enemy's greatest asset.

He glared at her for being like the monster she was. Cold and unreliable. Unreadable. According to Thorin and his opinion, the blame for her both being among them and joining them in the journey, was heavily on Gandalf. Completely on Gandalf. In his mind, he growled about the monster among them. However, in the woman's mind, a monster is no terrible thing to be called. Being a monster is to be both a warning and a message.

The Company didn't understand the message. But they all heard the warning.


	24. Promise Arise

_The Road from Carrock_

_Sweat rolled down Axell's tired body in waves, each sliding droplet caused a new goosebumps to form on her sticky skin. She could only concentrate on the dull pound vibrating throughout her bones, the open flesh over them searing with each movement. As she attempted to ignore the beads of moisture pouring into the gaping wounds, the salt mixing with my blood to create a different kind of torture._

_Her head rolled in defeat as her abuser allowed the pain to engulf her. Every __inch of her skin aching with a determination to not scream, not cry, not to beg for mercy, because she couldn't let him win. Focusing on her pain allowed her to not think of anything else as an option._

_The wounds caused by the merciless hand of her attacker ran red with warm iron. Liquid seeping down her back and sticking to the damp surface. Her ribs were singed and sear with each flinch and twitch that arose from her; pain rocking higher with each noise that emitted from her fighting body. At the sensation of hide material running over her nearly dried wounds streaking across her spine, blood began to fall further down the dip of her back. _

_Colours turned from muted browns and greys and flashed into brilliant greens and golds. Evil cackling morphed into a familiar yet hateful laughter. Axell struggled to see their hidden faces but could hear the leather snapping with a resounding crack._

_Angered screams and hollers pierced through her muted ears, bringing a heavy hurt to her heart. It was a voice that was once considered safe now to double as her killer._

Gasping in fear, Axell jarred awake with a start. Her body engulfed with adrenaline with an intensity that drowned out her pain. In her disorientation, large arms clung around her middle. It was grounding and she clung to it. Though, it was more meant to keep her from creating severe damage than to ground her. However, the blond on the receiving end of her tight hold shifted to an embrace. Placing his cheek against her forehead, his braids bounced against her cheek and she focused on the feeling of the cool beads.

Fili's fingers brushed the skin against the nape of her neck, his arm around her waist tightening as she shook in his hold. The dwarf hummed, his chest vibrating with the sound, and it lessened her tight nerves.

"Where's Kili?"

"Why should it matter?"

"He'll want to be here."

Axell knew the Company, but her daze remained heavy enough that she could not process who's voice belonged to whom.

She wanted to scream, sob, and disappear; all at the same time. All she could admit at the moment is the burdening fact they all knew of and the ever present thought that she would definitely need to start over. From the beginning. Again.

Time seemed to lie still for her. She hadn't known how long it had been since she woke. Just that Fili was keeping the pain at bay and she'd been given enough water that it kept her throat from burning.

"What's going on?" The familiarity of his voice stirred her to life, causing her to inhale and shift in Fili's arms, looking at him with both confusion and expectation.

"She broke through her fever," Oin responded with a gesture in her direction, "we think that she might actually be with us again. But she woke up with such a start we don't know if we should bother trying."

There was movement behind the girl and her shoulders shuddered in Fili's hand, and in response he gave Kili a warning glance at the other dwarf's hurried movements.

Kili slowed his pace, taking unsure but bold steps forward - scanning the woman that seemed so small in Fili's hold.

"Axell?" Kili's soft voice floated to her in a tune that settled her deepest nerves and she hummed in response. "What happened?"

"Nightmare." The sound of her voice echoed her distaste for the moment of weakness she had, "I'm fine."

"Axell," Fili scolded, "you are anything but fine at the moment. You've been in a _state_ since those bloody Goblins, and now you are having nightmares which never occurred before. None of that sounds like 'fine'."

A grumble came from the woman that he still clung to, but she ignored the statement and received a slow rip out of the man's hold in order for him to show his raised eyebrow.

Silence rang over the Company as she refused to acknowledge the blond. Though in the silence, Axell could hear gears churning and groaning in attempts to piece together anything. Many using information from over the past few days as the main source.

Slowly, Axell became hazy again. Her vision tilted and her eyelids got heavy. Leaning in a random direction, searching for something to lean against, her head hung lower than it had in hours. A few of the boys shifted her around to support her better. Fili's arms supporting her weight against him, while Kili sat tight against her, allowing her to drop her head on his shoulder.

Just as movement started to pick up, Axell's brain refocused. A couple shuffled forward, mumbling to one another, their eyes fluttering between each other and back to Axell's state.

A flexible hand entwined in her hair, running through it to calm and coax Axell into sleep. Another strong, hardened hand held her own, stroking over her thumb. It was soothing.

Which may be why she startled at the next question.

"Is it true?" Kili's voice leaked of fear though he tried to conceal it.

And she heard every bit of the emotion. Instinct told her to harness it for her benefit. She wanted to do it too. But there were a few that she couldn't bring herself to ruin. Mostly, Kili; who's been sweet and gentle with her since the beginning.

The movement that had become dull and silence came to a clattering halt. Heads turned in suspicion. Axell knew from their actions that more than what had been said to her came to light.

"What did he tell you?" Her voice was nearly as cold as her eyes, shoulders tense and her neck stiff.

All she could hear was a still, silent voice in her mind that had been put there through vigorous training and hard life experiences.

_Run._

_Run while you still can._

"You were an assassin," Ori was the only one brave enough - or maybe just the only one dumb enough - to look her in the eyes while he spoke, "for Thranduil."

The second that name was uttered, a thick and threatening tension fell over the Company. Much to Axell's benefit, which she could not see, Fili curled around her and delivered menacing glares to both his uncle, Dwalin, and anyone else who dared looked at her wrong. However, Axell could see the way the Company both froze and shifted, ready for a fight. Kili tensed beside her, but he shifted about with a slight nervousness to him. He didn't want to pick a side, because if he had to, it might be the death of him.

Bilbo and Gandalf were tense, but more so in fear of how this would play out.

Axell clung to the arm wrapped around her middle, unsure whether to throw him off or to just sink into his hold. It shocked her that the small action brought her some comfort, but it couldn't drown out her instincts and that one voice screaming at her to get out of the situation.

She cursed inwardly; she should have known better than to get involved. Correction, she _had_ known better than to get involved.

So why did she?

The silence continued to be piercing the longer Axell refused to answer, though she felt that by now there'd be no reason for her to answer. They all knew the truth.

Thorin looked damn-near ready to explode. She was just as ready to strike at him. He knew she could fight, but she knew that he had no idea what she was capable of.

"Thranduil," Thorin spat, his anger broiling, "you better beg that I have mercy, for your sake."

"And you'd better pray that I continue to be crippled by my wounds, for the sake of those you love," Axell snarled.

A crisp and dire fear snapped through the Company, hearing the promise in her voice. Dwalin stood at that, partially placing himself between Thorin and the woman. Fili proceeded to tuck Axell into him further, Kili raising to a bent knee position. The rest of the Company remained still in fear, and Gandalf had enough of the ever growing threat looming in the near future.

"That is quite enough!" The wizard stood, towering about all of them, "I've chosen her Thorin Oakenshield. So I will not sit around and allow you to make threats to send her way. She has suffered quite enough of those in the past!"

Thorin glared at the man from under his two inch thick eyebrows, "you knew. You knew of this and proceeded to drag her along in my presence."

"You've known of her too!" Gandalf swung around on Thorin, zeroing in to defend the injured girl. "You've heard the stories and tales of a thief of darkness and ruin. You've heard of the threat that has been around for decades, stalking about in the night.

"You've known of her Thorin, you just didn't know it was her. You didn't know that it was for your enemy. And you still don't know! So don't begin to make threats in her direction when it could be you being threatened. By the stubbornness of dwarves, you've got to let go of the past."

Thorin and Gandalf stood toe to toe, glaring the other down. Axell though it strange. An outburst such as that was quite out of character. But she also wasn't about to speak out of turn.

Thorin stalked away, not silently, but away nonetheless. Gandalf turned to give the trio a stern yet apologetic look, eyeing Axell dangerously. Axell took it as a warning, similar to everything else transpiring before her tonight.

The woman got lost in thoughts of memories of old; in the shadows that crept through her vision, in the voices that ghosted through the wind, and in the constant pull she felt in her soul.

Her blue eyes were dark with misery and nightmares, distant and uninviting to the others around her. The black of the night and the dark colours of her wardrobe caused her to blend in with the surrounding darkness despite being still engulfed by the blond. Dark hair waved about her head in violent warning to those who noticed that she'd always been wild, and while they noticed her wild, they made one harsh mistake; they thought her to be tamable.

There was only one dwarf brave enough to speak to her after everything that unraveled, and as much as the other dwarves wanted to freeze their conversations to listen, they feared the consequence much more.

Kili moved his hand up to brush her hair away from her eyes, dipping his head to catch her attention and draw her back to him.

"Those eyes had been far away," Kili tipped his head in the same direction as hers, "definitely beyond my reach."

Axell looked deep in his eyes feeling heavy and uncomfortable emotions stirring within her, with a quiet chuckle the woman leaned forward to bring her face ever closer to his. It was a poor excuse to attempt to drown everything trying to claw to the surface within her. A quirk of a smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she scanned over his face.

"No," she said, smiling at him before tucking it away, "never beyond your reach."

Kili lit up, smile stretching across his face and his eyes burning with a light that could rival the fire that burned beside them.

"Yeah?" He grinned, looking briefly at his brother who noticed the statement but refused to throw his attention from Bilbo.

With a brief nod, and a quiet, gentle smile reserved only for him, she confirmed her statement.

Thorin glared at them from across the fire, unbeknownst to either of them.

"How are you ailing?" Kili ran his eyes over her, taking in each bruise that tainted her skin.

She felt the eyes of every dwarf on her. Not used to such intense, undivided attention, Axell pushed her brown locks from behind her ears so it cascaded in front of her face and hid her blue eyes that flickered over the other dwarves.

The gentle flick over the skin on her wrist came from Fili, who rotated her forearm in his wrist to examine the colour of it. She traced the movement with her eyes, giving a brief sigh at it while her skin over her spine burned in an agony she had desperately ignored for some time now. Rotating her shoulders, she grimaced before turning her face back up to Kili.

"I think I will be just fine," she lied easily, worry and anxiousness coursing through her blood, "give me a few days time."


	25. Do-over

Axell awoke with a startle before the rest of the Company, much to her surprise. Though, the longer she lie still awake, the less she seemed to mind.

She slowly took in her surroundings. The smell of ash and soot drifted up her nose with a slight sting as the remnants of smoke danced into the air. Remaining hot colds held a flicker of golden read heat signalling the dying remains of the flames. Looking up, the sky signaled oncoming dawn with a dark, dusty blue beginning to provide light. Surrounding treetops floated in different directions as the wind gently brushed through them, the faint morning breeze kissing her bare cheeks and tickling the freckled skin. Grass tickled her neck, both the greenery and her hair covered in a faint amount of dew. The cool temperature scratched at her bare forearms as she removed them from the warm, soft jackets that had not been there when she had fallen asleep.

Her back throbbed violently, but not enough to completely disable her movements. Carefully angling her body, she attempted to sit. To her relief, most of her things had been placed within reaching distance. Probably not for her benefit, but she would take what she could get. Strapping her bag back to her thigh and grabbing the few weapons that weren't still tucked in the armour that she had struggled to readjust and strap down.

With a silent groan, Axell lurched forward to a standing position, her hair flinging about her head before settling. It wasn't until she took a few wobbling steps forward that she heard the voice ring through the calm air.

"Where are you going?" It was the Company's resident, frighteningly silent hobbit.

Axell abruptly halted, eyes rolling upward in disappointment. Bilbo being as smart as he was, knew exactly where she was going. Though, that's not what bothered her - what bothered her was the painfully obvious fact that Bilbo was never put on night watch alone. Which meant that there would be someone else who outmatched her in the condition she was currently in.

She hoped that it at least wasn't someone like Thorin of Dwalin.

Since when has she ever gotten what she wanted.

Dwalin stomped from seemingly nowhere, stomping between her and and the forest. Axell watched him with cold eyes, tracking his movements as he slowed to a deliberate stop with a cross of his arms and a tilt of his chin.

"I believe our Master Burglar asked you a question," Dwalin grumbled, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

Axell defiantly remained silent with an eyebrow raise of her own, tilting her head to match his in a testament to her stubborn nature. Dwalin's expression turned sour quickly, and she dropped hers to a smug smile and dark eyes that said she got exactly what she wanted.

However stubborn Axell may be, she was a dwarf, and Dwalin knew that dwarves by nature hate being told what they are thinking.

"You ain't going anywhere," Dwalin made a grab for her shoulder to which she smacked his hand out of her direction while dodging it.

"Like hell I ain't," her voice raised, "since when did you have say over where I went."

With a sharp movement that caused Axell to hiss under breath, straining her face in pain once she managed to get past Dwalin. Her feet gained momentum, still stumbling but steadier than before in the anger she was using to move forward.

"Well there ain't exactly anywhere to go, so where are you headed off to?" Dwalin followed her at half the pace she was moving, believing that her actions were a bluff.

Though, he quickly came to the conclusion that she wasn't even playing the same cards he was.

"Anywhere but here," the small clearing came to an end as she shoved through the underbrush and hollered over her shoulder.

Gawking at the woman, Dwalin turned back to the hobbit.

"Stay here Bilbo, I've got my hands full of stupidity." With that he hustled after, quickly hearing her rushed steps.

She knew that she could only stay out of his reach in order to avoid him at this point. But just like any other typical dwarf, she couldn't resist the opportunity to serve out unrelenting comments.

"Well, stupid is as stupid does," Brown hair flung over her shoulder as she turned to walk backwards upon hearing him get closer.

"Getting smart, are we?" Dwalin slowed as they made eye contact, seeing the desperation in her eyes.

"Smart enough to leave, yeah, absolutely." Swinging back around, she continued pushing forward through the forest.

"Really?" Dwalin smacked a low-hanging branch, "you think that wise? Surely as an assassin you would know better than that."

"I _do_ know better, you think my self-preservation instincts are telling me to get the hell out of dodge for no reason." Axell called in a cool manner over her shoulder.

"Of course, there's the real answer! You're looking out for no one but yourself!" Dwalin matched her pace, not gaining on her and not losing her, a finger coming up to point at her as he leaned forward into his accusation.

"Well, glad to hear you've made up your mind about what I'm doing and why," she swung around with a fake bow before turning and continuing to walk, "hope you don't mind if I see myself out."

Dwalin halted in both shock and anger as she continued on without sign of letting up.

"Oh no you don't, get back here." He stomped faster, closing some distance.

"Why the hell does it matter to you where I go?" She turned at him with a yell of frustration. "Just leave me alone Dwalin."

"I couldn't give a damn, too bad the line of Durin does." Dwalin's volume matched her own.

"Since when have Fili and Kili made a difference on any of the decisions, thought it was up to Thorin - who by the way, would be overjoyed to hear that I've gone wandering off in the forest alone. He'd very vocally make a proclamation of just how good of a decision he thought the idea to be." Axell ducked through the brush, hoping to lose him the thicker the plant life got.

She knew that her only survival happened to be alongside the Company, however, she had to face her fears if she continued on with them. And she refused to face those.

Damn, did she feel like a coward.

"I'd follow Thorin into battle anytime, however, his nephews are my family too and I don't want to listen to them and their crap over the next few weeks." Dwalin's voice sounded off stubbornly behind her and she shook her head at his inability to give up.

"Thorin would shut them up after a couple of hours," Axell snapped at him, hating that he was using what he considered to be one of her weaknesses against her.

"And what if, unlike Thorin, I can get over myself and don't want him to have to shut them up?" Dwalin hollered at her, his voice reaching a point of both an anger that stunned Axell and an emotion that Axell could not describe by tone alone.

But it was said with such an intensity that it stopped Axell in her tracks, which brought Dwalin to a stop himself. He waited in silence for a moment, watching her as she digested the question that sounded more like a statement.

"What if, I could learn to forgive and forget?"

Dwalin took a few slow and quiet steps forward, and she turned to see his movements but refused to face him. She couldn't identify her emotions, all of them running rampant at once, drowning her in a conflict of feelings that she hadn't been overtaken by before.

Axell normally could control her feelings. Every last one of them. Could bottle them up and sending them flying out the nearest door or store them away for later. She would occasionally let one or two genuine emotions go. But only to serve as a reminder for herself, or to serve as a tool used to manipulate those around her.

But this, this was overwhelming.

"What would you think about that?" Dwalin could have stretched out and taken hold of her now, resolutely letting her know that the conversation was over.

But he wanted her to stew for a moment, wanted to let her genuinely acknowledge something. And sometimes, the best moment to do that is when there is a brief second of silence with nobody else around.

But he also wasn't about to let her take off into the distance either.

With a gentle clasp over her upper arm, his hand wound around her in a way that left no room for argument. Not that she was about to.

"Come on," Dwalin muttered calmly, unsure why he had calmed so quickly despite everything his mind said to him, "let's take care of you."

He came to the conclusion that maybe she had wormed her way into his heart long before everything transpired.

The two traveled on in silence as Axell's mind caught up with Dwalin.

"Why?" It was a vague question, and if it had been any of the other dwarves they wouldn't have understood.

Somehow she knew that Dwalin knew exactly what she meant.

"You'll understand," the answer gave no insight nor sense but seemed to appease the woman for the time being, "in no time soon, but you'll understand."

Once Dwalin dragged Axell back without a word from her, they both returned to both annoyed and relieved dwarves. Most of them awake, a handful of them going about tasks, but others just waiting.

And much to Axell's luck, Thorin was one of them.

"A shame it is to believe that an assassin of Thranduil couldn't manage her own against one dwarf," his voice was bitter and his eyes were as cold as ice.

Axell sighed in defeat and pulled against Dwalin's hold, trying to turn back toward the treeline, to which Dwalin pulled back and gripped both of her arms as he moved her in front of him.

"What are you doing awake?" Dwalin asked bitterly, giving Thorin a glare and shoving Axell down next to Oin, "I believe it's your turn."

"You left Bilbo here alone to chase after the murderess," Thorin spat in Axell's direction, who just locked herself away in her own mind, "his frantic pacing and muttering woke some of us."

Thorin looked the woman up and down before looking to Dwalin, "you should have just left her to die."

"If you hadn't been told, you'd have never known and you would have gone after her just as well. For once, I agree with the wizard." Dwalin grumbled and proceeded to stalk off to relieve himself.

Stunned into silence, Thorin's blue eyes widened before he turned to give the girl an icy glare. A glare she hadn't even noticed. She looked smaller than he ever remembered her being, and now, he could finally see how much of a dwarf she was; she radiated a stubborn, determined boldness that matched the healer tending her wounds, her ankles were crossed but her knees were drawn up to her chest and she had her elbows propped up on them to help Oin hold up the back of her shirt, he could see in the way her shoulders rotated that she had the unbreakable bone structure of a dwarf, and her hair carried the dark and wild character that came with most dwarves.

And Thorin almost forgot that he had gotten caught up in every other feature that was not a dwarf to notice that she was one them. He too stubbornly held onto the sharp, defined features of her face. Holding on to fact that her waist is slimmer than most dwarrowdams, her fingers were thinner and more flexible than any dwarf to live, and her eyes were far too expressive and gave away most of her emotions. Most importantly, her beardless face is what kept Thorin on edge.

To any dwarf, she appeared to be human. But to humans, she was anything but.

That was her life, an awkward in between. Which is why she found herself alone.

And Thorin could see it in her eyes now. He could see the cold, distant look that she reserved for when she thought nobody noticed. He could see the thoughts that went to war behind the colour that took up residence in her eyes. He saw the remains of who she was trying to put back together after years of being what other people wanted her to be.

At least, he noticed those things until she caught his eye, feeling his gaze for he had been looking for a moment too long.

Then he noticed only what he had before, the defiance of a warrior that did not belong to him.

Sending a quick glare her way, Thorin turned to begin aiding the other dwarves in some of their tasks and waking a few others along the way.

Axell let out a sigh as Oin finished up his work with a gentle pat to her side as a signal she could drop her shirt. Looking around, Axell made her way to stand wobbly while looking for a job that hadn't already been taken. Seeing none, Axell dropped her shoulders in defeat, watching and counting everyone accounted for. Though she quickly felt the presence behind her and leapt slightly - in a way she shouldn't have considering her back turned into a raging agony - and snapped her attention to the culprit.

Bilbo had a guilty look on his face as he approaches the cautious woman. He gives her a quirky, apologetic and guilty smirk with a dip of his head, a look to which she accepted and gave him a gentle smile and a soft nod. The hobbit breathed a silent sigh of relief before nearing her to speak.

"Thorin sent me over here to ask you if you think you could walk," Bilbo's ruffled hair sagged over his forehead, the strands getting long enough to hide his brows that furrowed slightly.

Axell sent a backwards glance to where Thorin stood with Dori, talking quietly to each other with Thorin sending careful glances in the woman's direction.

"I believe that I will be fine to do so," Axell nodded, eyes not moving from the so-called king, unaware of the tremble in her legs.

Bilbo nodded to her - paying close attention to the way she swayed - before dipping away from her side to return to Thorin.

Taking her eyes off Bilbo, they landed on Thorin who delivered a harsh glare her way. Not having the energy to put up a fight, Axell sagged sorrowfully while looking away and over the Company.

Kili met her eyes with a gentle, reassuring smile. Which normally Axell would return the look, but feeling compelled to not aggravate Thorin, lowered her head and her gaze. Turning, Axell wrapped her arms around herself, trying to bring some semblance of comfort to her sore, tired body. Resisting the urge to allow tears to fall, Axell made sloppy, slow steps down the path that Gandalf stood near. Bofur jogged to keep up with her after a curt nod from Thorin.

Behind her, Axell failed to notice that Kili threw a nervous, pained glance in Fili's direction who shared a similar look with furrowed brows. The blond nodded at his brother before looking back to the woman.

Not only would there need to be a do-over from the beginning, but it would need to start much farther back than the beginning.


	26. Rock Bottom

Axell awoke with a startle before the rest of the Company, much to her surprise. Though, the longer she lie still awake, the less she seemed to mind.

She slowly took in her surroundings. The smell of ash and soot drifted up her nose with a slight sting as the remnants of smoke danced into the air. Remaining hot colds held a flicker of golden read heat signalling the dying remains of the flames. Looking up, the sky signaled oncoming dawn with a dark, dusty blue beginning to provide light. Surrounding treetops floated in different directions as the wind gently brushed through them, the faint morning breeze kissing her bare cheeks and tickling the freckled skin. Grass tickled her neck, both the greenery and her hair covered in a faint amount of dew. The cool temperature scratched at her bare forearms as she removed them from the warm, soft jackets that had not been there when she had fallen asleep.

Her back throbbed violently, but not enough to completely disable her movements. Carefully angling her body, she attempted to sit. To her relief, most of her things had been placed within reaching distance. Probably not for her benefit, but she would take what she could get. Strapping her bag back to her thigh and grabbing the few weapons that weren't still tucked in the armour that she had struggled to readjust and strap down.

With a silent groan, Axell lurched forward to a standing position, her hair flinging about her head before settling. It wasn't until she took a few wobbling steps forward that she heard the voice ring through the calm air.

"Where are you going?" It was the Company's resident, frighteningly silent hobbit.

Axell abruptly halted, eyes rolling upward in disappointment. Bilbo being as smart as he was, knew exactly where she was going. Though, that's not what bothered her - what bothered her was the painfully obvious fact that Bilbo was never put on night watch alone. Which meant that there would be someone else who outmatched her in the condition she was currently in.

She hoped that it at least wasn't someone like Thorin of Dwalin.

Since when has she ever gotten what she wanted.

Dwalin stomped from seemingly nowhere, stomping between her and and the forest. Axell watched him with cold eyes, tracking his movements as he slowed to a deliberate stop with a cross of his arms and a tilt of his chin.

"I believe our Master Burglar asked you a question," Dwalin grumbled, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

Axell defiantly remained silent with an eyebrow raise of her own, tilting her head to match his in a testament to her stubborn nature. Dwalin's expression turned sour quickly, and she dropped hers to a smug smile and dark eyes that said she got exactly what she wanted.

However stubborn Axell may be, she was a dwarf, and Dwalin knew that dwarves by nature hate being told what they are thinking.

"You ain't going anywhere," Dwalin made a grab for her shoulder to which she smacked his hand out of her direction while dodging it.

"Like hell I ain't," her voice raised, "since when did you have say over where I went."

With a sharp movement that caused Axell to hiss under breath, straining her face in pain once she managed to get past Dwalin. Her feet gained momentum, still stumbling but steadier than before in the anger she was using to move forward.

"Well there ain't exactly anywhere to go, so where are you headed off to?" Dwalin followed her at half the pace she was moving, believing that her actions were a bluff.

Though, he quickly came to the conclusion that she wasn't even playing the same cards he was.

"Anywhere but here," the small clearing came to an end as she shoved through the underbrush and hollered over her shoulder.

Gawking at the woman, Dwalin turned back to the hobbit.

"Stay here Bilbo, I've got my hands full of stupidity." With that he hustled after, quickly hearing her rushed steps.

She knew that she could only stay out of his reach in order to avoid him at this point. But just like any other typical dwarf, she couldn't resist the opportunity to serve out unrelenting comments.

"Well, stupid is as stupid does," Brown hair flung over her shoulder as she turned to walk backwards upon hearing him get closer.

"Getting smart, are we?" Dwalin slowed as they made eye contact, seeing the desperation in her eyes.

"Smart enough to leave, yeah, absolutely." Swinging back around, she continued pushing forward through the forest.

"Really?" Dwalin smacked a low-hanging branch, "you think that wise? Surely as an assassin you would know better than that."

"I _do_ know better, you think my self-preservation instincts are telling me to get the hell out of dodge for no reason." Axell called in a cool manner over her shoulder.

"Of course, there's the real answer! You're looking out for no one but yourself!" Dwalin matched her pace, not gaining on her and not losing her, a finger coming up to point at her as he leaned forward into his accusation.

"Well, glad to hear you've made up your mind about what I'm doing and why," she swung around with a fake bow before turning and continuing to walk, "hope you don't mind if I see myself out."

Dwalin halted in both shock and anger as she continued on without sign of letting up.

"Oh no you don't, get back here." He stomped faster, closing some distance.

"Why the hell does it matter to you where I go?" She turned at him with a yell of frustration. "Just leave me alone Dwalin."

"I couldn't give a damn, too bad the line of Durin does." Dwalin's volume matched her own.

"Since when have Fili and Kili made a difference on any of the decisions, thought it was up to Thorin - who by the way, would be overjoyed to hear that I've gone wandering off in the forest alone. He'd very vocally make a proclamation of just how good of a decision he thought the idea to be." Axell ducked through the brush, hoping to lose him the thicker the plant life got.

She knew that her only survival happened to be alongside the Company, however, she had to face her fears if she continued on with them. And she refused to face those.

Damn, did she feel like a coward.

"I'd follow Thorin into battle anytime, however, his nephews are my family too and I don't want to listen to them and their crap over the next few weeks." Dwalin's voice sounded off stubbornly behind her and she shook her head at his inability to give up.

"Thorin would shut them up after a couple of hours," Axell snapped at him, hating that he was using what he considered to be one of her weaknesses against her.

"And what if, unlike Thorin, I can get over myself and don't want him to have to shut them up?" Dwalin hollered at her, his voice reaching a point of both an anger that stunned Axell and an emotion that Axell could not describe by tone alone.

But it was said with such an intensity that it stopped Axell in her tracks, which brought Dwalin to a stop himself. He waited in silence for a moment, watching her as she digested the question that sounded more like a statement.

"What if, I could learn to forgive and forget?"

Dwalin took a few slow and quiet steps forward, and she turned to see his movements but refused to face him. She couldn't identify her emotions, all of them running rampant at once, drowning her in a conflict of feelings that she hadn't been overtaken by before.

Axell normally could control her feelings. Every last one of them. Could bottle them up and sending them flying out the nearest door or store them away for later. She would occasionally let one or two genuine emotions go. But only to serve as a reminder for herself, or to serve as a tool used to manipulate those around her.

But this, this was overwhelming.

"What would you think about that?" Dwalin could have stretched out and taken hold of her now, resolutely letting her know that the conversation was over.

But he wanted her to stew for a moment, wanted to let her genuinely acknowledge something. And sometimes, the best moment to do that is when there is a brief second of silence with nobody else around.

But he also wasn't about to let her take off into the distance either.

With a gentle clasp over her upper arm, his hand wound around her in a way that left no room for argument. Not that she was about to.

"Come on," Dwalin muttered calmly, unsure why he had calmed so quickly despite everything his mind said to him, "let's take care of you."

He came to the conclusion that maybe she had wormed her way into his heart long before everything transpired.

The two traveled on in silence as Axell's mind caught up with Dwalin.

"Why?" It was a vague question, and if it had been any of the other dwarves they wouldn't have understood.

Somehow she knew that Dwalin knew exactly what she meant.

"You'll understand," the answer gave no insight nor sense but seemed to appease the woman for the time being, "in no time soon, but you'll understand."

Once Dwalin dragged Axell back without a word from her, they both returned to both annoyed and relieved dwarves. Most of them awake, a handful of them going about tasks, but others just waiting.

And much to Axell's luck, Thorin was one of them.

"A shame it is to believe that an assassin of Thranduil couldn't manage her own against one dwarf," his voice was bitter and his eyes were as cold as ice.

Axell sighed in defeat and pulled against Dwalin's hold, trying to turn back toward the treeline, to which Dwalin pulled back and gripped both of her arms as he moved her in front of him.

"What are you doing awake?" Dwalin asked bitterly, giving Thorin a glare and shoving Axell down next to Oin, "I believe it's your turn."

"You left Bilbo here alone to chase after the murderess," Thorin spat in Axell's direction, who just locked herself away in her own mind, "his frantic pacing and muttering woke some of us."

Thorin looked the woman up and down before looking to Dwalin, "you should have just left her to die."

"If you hadn't been told, you'd have never known and you would have gone after her just as well. For once, I agree with the wizard." Dwalin grumbled and proceeded to stalk off to relieve himself.

Stunned into silence, Thorin's blue eyes widened before he turned to give the girl an icy glare. A glare she hadn't even noticed. She looked smaller than he ever remembered her being, and now, he could finally see how much of a dwarf she was; she radiated a stubborn, determined boldness that matched the healer tending her wounds, her ankles were crossed but her knees were drawn up to her chest and she had her elbows propped up on them to help Oin hold up the back of her shirt, he could see in the way her shoulders rotated that she had the unbreakable bone structure of a dwarf, and her hair carried the dark and wild character that came with most dwarves.

And Thorin almost forgot that he had gotten caught up in every other feature that was not a dwarf to notice that she was one them. He too stubbornly held onto the sharp, defined features of her face. Holding on to fact that her waist is slimmer than most dwarrowdams, her fingers were thinner and more flexible than any dwarf to live, and her eyes were far too expressive and gave away most of her emotions. Most importantly, her beardless face is what kept Thorin on edge.

To any dwarf, she appeared to be human. But to humans, she was anything but.

That was her life, an awkward in between. Which is why she found herself alone.

And Thorin could see it in her eyes now. He could see the cold, distant look that she reserved for when she thought nobody noticed. He could see the thoughts that went to war behind the colour that took up residence in her eyes. He saw the remains of who she was trying to put back together after years of being what other people wanted her to be.

At least, he noticed those things until she caught his eye, feeling his gaze for he had been looking for a moment too long.

Then he noticed only what he had before, the defiance of a warrior that did not belong to him.

Sending a quick glare her way, Thorin turned to begin aiding the other dwarves in some of their tasks and waking a few others along the way.

Axell let out a sigh as Oin finished up his work with a gentle pat to her side as a signal she could drop her shirt. Looking around, Axell made her way to stand wobbly while looking for a job that hadn't already been taken. Seeing none, Axell dropped her shoulders in defeat, watching and counting everyone accounted for. Though she quickly felt the presence behind her and leapt slightly - in a way she shouldn't have considering her back turned into a raging agony - and snapped her attention to the culprit.

Bilbo had a guilty look on his face as he approaches the cautious woman. He gives her a quirky, apologetic and guilty smirk with a dip of his head, a look to which she accepted and gave him a gentle smile and a soft nod. The hobbit breathed a silent sigh of relief before nearing her to speak.

"Thorin sent me over here to ask you if you think you could walk," Bilbo's ruffled hair sagged over his forehead, the strands getting long enough to hide his brows that furrowed slightly.

Axell sent a backwards glance to where Thorin stood with Dori, talking quietly to each other with Thorin sending careful glances in the woman's direction.

"I believe that I will be fine to do so," Axell nodded, eyes not moving from the so-called king, unaware of the tremble in her legs.

Bilbo nodded to her - paying close attention to the way she swayed - before dipping away from her side to return to Thorin.

Taking her eyes off Bilbo, they landed on Thorin who delivered a harsh glare her way. Not having the energy to put up a fight, Axell sagged sorrowfully while looking away and over the Company.

Kili met her eyes with a gentle, reassuring smile. Which normally Axell would return the look, but feeling compelled to not aggravate Thorin, lowered her head and her gaze. Turning, Axell wrapped her arms around herself, trying to bring some semblance of comfort to her sore, tired body. Resisting the urge to allow tears to fall, Axell made sloppy, slow steps down the path that Gandalf stood near. Bofur jogged to keep up with her after a curt nod from Thorin.

Behind her, Axell failed to notice that Kili threw a nervous, pained glance in Fili's direction who shared a similar look with furrowed brows. The blond nodded at his brother before looking back to the woman.

Not only would there need to be a do-over from the beginning, but it would need to start much farther back than the beginning.


End file.
